Summer Sun
by RainingLullaby
Summary: Danny's parents leave him with Vlad all summer as they go off to a ghost symposium. Will they finally be able to settle their differences? Perhaps even enough to become friends...or more? And how will their relationship change as unexpected events twist their lives upside down? DannyxVlad
1. Summer Break

Hi everybody! Well, here is my first fanfiction…pretty nifty huh? Not much to say right now. Oh and it is a slash, eventually. There is a chance the rating will go up, but it's also possible it won't. Haven't decided yet haha. Enjoy!

P.S. I don't own Danny phantom, but it would be pretty cool if I did :P

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Bright sunlight filtered into the room through the drapes. A slight breeze blew in the open window. Danny opened his eyes and squinted at the light. Glancing over at the clock through bleary eyes, he saw it was only seven. He groaned and pushed off the covers. Sitting up he rubbed his eyes and yawned. Today was going to be a long day. He could feel it. The first sign was that he was awake at seven. The second? His ghost sense suddenly went off. Sighing, Danny let the white rings slip over his body allowing him to change to his ghost half.

The box ghost came into sight as he flew out his bedroom window. He did so not need this today. Instead of fighting or listening to his ranting Danny just pulled out a thermos and sucked him up. When he was back in his room he decided to just get dressed instead of trying to go back to sleep.

Descending the stairs, Danny could hear his parents talking. He stopped to listen and heard his name a few times. Great, it was probably about his less than stellar report card for the year. Even though he had improved with his ghost powers it wasn't enough to give him the extra time for homework or studying he needed. He had barely scraped by. It was bad enough that his grades were right above the mark for summer school.

Danny sighed and walked into the kitchen to make his breakfast. His parents stopped talking when he entered. Well, that's a wonderful sign. Maddie looked at her son for a moment as he made his way near them. "Danny, honey, would you sit down? We need to talk to you about something," his mother asked. His dad just looked at him with a smile. He sat down and waited for them to start yelling at him for his awful grades.

"Danny! How would you like to stay with Vlad this summer?!" His dad asked excitedly, almost bouncing out of his seat. Maddie gave her husband a look. All Danny could do was open his mouth and close it. Wasn't this supposed to be about his grades?

"W-What?" That was all Danny could manage. His dad didn't just ask him to spend his summer with Vlad, right?

His mother began to explain, "We have been invited to a summer ghost symposium in Arizona. This is a huge opportunity for us to meet other ghost hunters, show our inventions and to get more research funding. It starts in two days and lasts until mid August. You can't stay here by yourself sweetie so your father-"

"I thought you and V-man would love to spend some time together! Isn't it wonderful? My best friend and son getting to know each other!" Jack exclaimed, practically bursting with joy.

"Why can't I stay here? Isn't Jazz coming back?" Danny hurriedly asked. He wasn't going to stay with Vlad ALL summer if he had a say in it. Their fights started dying down around the middle of his sophomore year. By the beginning of his junior year it had stopped completely. Vlad was no longer going after his mom or trying to kill his father. He had resigned as mayor and moved back to Wisconsin. Vlad even stopped trying to make Danny his apprentice. He isn't sure what caused it, but he was grateful nonetheless. Despite this Danny was still apprehensive about Vlad.

"Jazz is taking some summer courses so she will be staying at college. We would ask you to come with us, but you aren't very interested ghosts. And don't think we didn't see your report card Danny," his mom chastised. "You are lucky you didn't wind up in summer school young man. We already talked to Vlad and he said you could stay. He also offered to bring in a tutor a few times a week to help you catch up."

Danny couldn't believe this. He was going to be spending his summer with Vlad. There was no way he was going with his parents to a ghost symposium. They also wouldn't let him stay home alone.

"What about Sam and Tucker? Can't I stay with them?" Pleaded Danny.

"You are not going to spend your summer goofing off with your friends when you were almost held back a year Danny," his mother said in a stern voice. There was no arguing with her now and he knew it. Sighing, Danny admitted defeat. Third sign today was a bad day? Finding out he gets to spend his summer with Vlad.

"Don't look so sad son! You and Vlad are going to have a great time, I know it!" his father looked at him happily. He patted Danny on the back and then bounded off towards the lab.

Maddie looked at her son and smiled. "Don't worry honey, it's only for the summer. We will all be back here before you know it." She gave him a hug and kissed his cheek then walked off to find her husband. Danny groaned and thumped his head on the table. This summer was not going the way he planned and it was only the first day. Well, he might as well tell Tucker and Sam. They were not going to be happy.

Danny got up and headed to his room. The clock read 7:43AM. They wouldn't be up this early. Grabbing his cell phone he shot Sam and Tucker a text asking them to come over when they woke up. Clouds started to dot the sky and roam over the sun. He collapsed back onto his bed with a sigh. There wasn't much he could do until they came over. He could start packing, but that could wait and he just didn't feel like doing it right now.

Closing his eyes he let his thoughts drift wherever they wanted. Danny hadn't realized he fell asleep until Sam and Tucker walked in his room. Sitting up, he smiled and then yawned. Sam sat next to him and Tucker sat in his computer chair. "So, what's up?" Sam asked.

"Well, my parents were invited to this ghost symposium thing that lasts all summer. Jazz isn't coming home because she is taking classes. I'm not going with them and they won't let me stay here by myself. So they are sending me to Vlad's until they get back," Danny explained.

"What?!" his best friends exclaimed. He knew it, they were angry.

"Why? Why can't you just stay with one of us? Why _Vlad_?" Sam demanded.

"Do you know how bad my grades are?" Danny inquired.

"Dude, you almost failed. What has that got do with you staying with Vlad?" Tucker looked confused.

"Mom said I wasn't allowed to stay here all summer and goof off because of that. Vlad is bringing a tutor to help me catch up…" he trailed off. There wasn't much else to say. They were staring at him so he just looked at the floor. Sam spoke up first.

"Why didn't you just say no? Or fight it?" She looked confused, even a little worried.

"There wasn't anything I could do. Both of them were totally for it. They are right about my grades though. We are seniors now and if I don't catch up I won't graduate next year. I can't even ask to stay with Jazz, she is in a dorm. And there was no way in hell I was going with them. I would have to be suicidal." Danny frowned. There really was no way out of this. His friends knew it too.

"When are you leaving?" Tucker asked.

"I don't know. The symposium starts in two days, so I'm guessing tomorrow." As he was saying this Sam pulled something out of her bag. Holding it up, he saw it was the newest video game. Smiling, he grabbed it and they all crowded around his computer to play. They didn't dwell on him leaving. Instead they made the most of their first and last day of summer break together.

Around dinner his mom came up and told him he needed to pack, that they were indeed, leaving tomorrow. Danny gave both of his best friends hugs as they left and he began to pack. It took him a lot longer than it should have. Mostly because he was stalling. He also couldn't stop thinking about it. Did he hate going to Vlad's that much? When he really thought about it, he didn't. Now that they were on more friendly terms, mainly no fighting, he wasn't as bothered by it. He was upset that he couldn't see his friends all summer. Otherwise the prospect didn't seem awful. The ghost fighting would stop for once, since he wasn't going to be in Amity Park. His grades would improve once he started school too.

Danny climbed into bed to get some sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a long day. He just hoped it wouldn't be awkward living with Vlad for that long. Maybe they would actually start to get along. Who knows, they might even become friends. Danny stilled, Vlad and him friends? That was a weird thought, but not a bad one. Smiling, he drifted off to sleep.

Danny's morning started with his parents and him packing their things into the RV while it was pouring down rain. Lightning streaked the sky as thunder pounded their ears. The weather just made him anxious. Jack and Maddie were excited about the symposium and that was all they talked about. The trip to Vlad's mansion was going to be a long one. He tried to keep himself occupied, but it didn't work. His thoughts kept straying back to staying with Vlad. Danny didn't want to admit it, but he was nervous. Sure, they hadn't fought in about a year, but did that mean they were still enemies? He was just making himself sick, by thinking about it. Instead of thought of his friends and what they were doing with their summer breaks. That didn't really help brighten his mood.

When his dad was finally driving up Vlad's driveway, Danny felt ill. It was storming here too and it just made Vlad's mansion look haunted. He almost laughed, because in a way, it was. They said their goodbyes in the RV so they wouldn't get soaked standing outside. Danny grabbed his backpack and suitcase and hopped out and then ran to the front door. He thought about phasing in, but decided against it. Vlad probably wouldn't like that too well. Taking a deep breath Danny rang the doorbell and almost immediately the huge ornate door was opened. He stepped in and thanked the butler who had opened it for him. Vlad started walking towards him from the base of the stairs. Danny couldn't say anything. He just stood there dripping water all over Vlad's carpet.

Vlad smiled, "Welcome, Daniel."

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Soooo? What did you think? Review, comments, questions, and critiques will be greatly appreciated! See ya next chapter!


	2. First Dinner

Hey there everyone! So I posted the first chapter less than 24 hours ago and you guys blew up my email. It made me extremely happy :D, especially since this is my first fanfic! More going on in this chapter. Vlad and Danny are actually talking! *gasp* hehe. Anyway, enjoy!

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"I assume you had a safe trip?" Vlad asked. They were having dinner and the silence was weird. He was glad when Vlad tried to keep the conversation going. Danny certainly wasn't doing a good job of it. Nervousness was still floating in his stomach, for what reason he didn't know, causing him to clam up.

"Yeah, all mom and dad could talk about was the symposium…" he trailed off. This wasn't good. He had only been here for an hour and it was already awkward. What about for the next three months? The billionaire just smiled at him and kept going.

"Yes, well, when it is a once in a lifetime chance I cannot blame them for their excitement," Vlad said. Once in a lifetime? Danny hadn't heard that part. That explains why they had no problem leaving him with Vlad for so long. That and it was part of his punishment for almost flunking out of high school.

"They didn't tell me that," Danny stated. "What's so special about it?"

"It is held once every five years for three months. Ghosts experts from around the world come to showcase their findings and inventions. They do this not only for funding, but also to use what others have learned to aid in their own research. You have to be invited in order to attend and it's quite an honor as well. You should be proud of your parents." Vlad explained. All Danny could do was stare. There was no malice or hatred in that last sentence, as he would normally expect. Maybe Vlad really has changed. He hasn't said so himself, but from the moment Danny has walked in the door Vlad has seemed…different.

"Did you finally get a cat?" Danny inquired. Vlad laughed. He actually laughed. All Danny could think about is how wonderful that sound is.

"Abrupt change in subject, but no my dear boy, I have not. Why do you ask?" Vlad raised an eyebrow. Danny could feel the slight heat on his cheeks as he explained.

"It's just, you haven't been going after mom or trying to kill dad. And you haven't fought with me in a while so I thought you finally got yourself that cat to keep you company."

Vlad starred at him for a moment before answering. "It's funny what love can do to you. When my affections for your mother ceased, I no longer felt the fury towards your father as I once did. This also meant I no longer desired his son as my son," Vlad stated simply. "I saw no need to fight with the only other hybrid in existence. I also noticed, that you little badger, weren't as heated during our fights as you once were. It seemed we both found it pointless and wasteful to fight with no goal in mind."

"No goal? Aren't you still like, planning world domination or something?" Danny was skeptical, but it seemed like Vlad was telling the truth. At least his explanation matched his words.

Vlad chuckled and Danny felt butterflies in his stomach. What was that about? "No, I am no longer interested in that. I decided to focus my attention elsewhere. It also seemed pointless to continue something I didn't really care for."

"Whoa, wait. You didn't care for it? Who are you and what have you done to Vlad?" Danny demanded jokingly.

He smirked. "I never cared for it in the first place. At the time it seemed the solution to what I wanted. As my desires have changed so has the solution." They were done eating so Vlad waved a butler, who happened to be a ghost, over to take the plates and he stood up. The young hybrid followed, not sure where to go. The two continued their conversation as they walked.

"If what you wanted changed then what do you want now?" he inquired. The mansion was huge and Danny had no idea where he was going. He just decided to follow Vlad until he told him to go away.

"That, my dear boy, is a secret. I can assure you however, it is nothing for you to worry about." Vlad told him. Danny wasn't so sure about that, but it did seem like he had really changed. Frowning, he wondered what Vlad wanted now. He gave up after a few minutes. There was no way he could guess; Vlad was a fruitloop after all.

Thinking of the butler he asked a question. "So, are all of your staff ghosts?"

"Yes, they are. So you are free to use you powers without worrying about being seen." Vlad gave him a smile as a stopped walking to face a door. "This is your room little badger. Your things are already here. There is a bathroom connected to your room as well. If you need anything my room is three doors down and my study is directly above this. You are free to do as you please and go where you wish in the mansion." Vlad gave Danny a look. "So long as you don't create a mess or problem for me later that is."

He glared at Vlad. "I'm not a kid you know."

Vlad looked at him weird, and it caused Danny to squirm a little. "Yes, I know that. However, you have a unique talent to get into trouble. Therefore you are not allowed in my lab, study, or bedroom without permission." Even if Danny didn't get in trouble that was still fair. This is Vlad's house and he deserves to have rooms to himself, even if he has hundreds of them.

He turned to walk away when Danny grabbed his arm stopping him. Vlad raised an eyebrow in question. Confused at his actions he let go and quickly tried to come up with something to say. "Umm…I was just wondering when the tutor would be coming…" he stumbled. Cheeks turning pink as Danny shuffled his feet.

Vlad smirked, "Your first day with him is this coming Monday. He will be here every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from twelve thirty to four thirty. Don't even think to complain about how much that is. I saw your grades myself dear boy." Danny's pink face went to red at this point. "Your grades were atrocious. I'm surprised they did not fail you. Looks like some luck was on your side Daniel. Now, if you will please excuse me. I have some work I need to finish up. I will be in my study if you need me." With that, he let his ghost half take over and he flew into the floor above them.

Danny sighed and walked into his room. This room was huge! It was almost three times the size of his room back home. A queen size bed was to the left with a side table on either side. On the same wall was a door, with what he assumed was the bathroom. A desk, chair and computer were set up in the far corner to the right. Next to that on the left side, there was a huge window with a seat and cushions. To the right was a huge dresser. There were his suitcase and backpack on the bed. The whole room was done in blue and black except for the wood of the furniture.

Unpacking was never fun, but he got to it. It also signified he was staying a while. He smiled, he was actually happy to be here. Despite his stomach still twisting in knots, he and Vlad were getting along fine. Maybe Vlad would even agree to help him with his ghost powers. He would have to ask. But, Danny was still confused. Why was he nervous around Vlad? It wasn't like he was scared of him. What could it be? Was he worried Vlad hadn't really changed and he was being tricked? That didn't seem to be the problem. Walking over to the window he sat down. The moon had risen high and was shining brightly through the window. Maybe he was excited to finally be on good terms with Vlad. Yes, that was it. It had been exhausting fighting the only other halfa in existence. What Vlad said was true. He had started to hate their fights and never looked forward to them. Relief swept through him when the fighting finally stopped.

Standing up, he walked over to the dresser and changed into pajamas. As he turned off the light he glanced at the bed and grinned as an idea sprang in his mind. Sprinting towards it, he jumped and landed on the sinfully soft pillows and comforter. A content sigh escaped his lips as he snuggled deeper. Only Vlad would have the best of everything, right down to the sheets. Danny wasn't complaining though. This bed was a thousand times better than his back home or any bed he had ever slept on for that matter. A smile on his face, Danny drifted off to sleep with thoughts of a certain fruitloop in his head.

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I feel like I kind of rushed the ending a tiny bit, sorry about that! Anyway, how did you like it? Feel free to review or anything else you feel like doing :P Oh and don't get your hopes up for me to update this fast all of the time. It was luck that I got the second chapter out this quick. I will try to update on a regular basis though! See ya next chapter!


	3. Training

Hi everybody! Here's the next chapter! I have a oneshot out, but for some reason it's not working...I might have to re-upload it. Anyway, you should go check out School Boy Crush by nekonikki08. It's pretty awesome, I would know since I am her beta haha. She is the one who convinced me to write my own fics! So, if you like my stories you need to thank her! I believe that's all, so on with the show! Er, chapter haha.

Enjoy!

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Vlad pulled his hair back into a loose ponytail with a black ribbon. Today was the second day that Danny was here. Last night went well enough. It could have gone a lot worse. The boy still seemed nervous to be around Vlad. That was to be expected, of course. Even though they had ceased their pointless battles about a year ago, it didn't erase what Vlad had done to Danny or his family. He had never gotten far in his plans, but it was still the idea of what he really desired to do. Those plans stopped when he no longer desired to have Maddie. His love for her just seemed to dissipate. With that, his anger for Jack did as well. He no longer desired Danny as his son. However, he did desire him in a new way.

Vlad was baffled when he figured out he was in love with the boy. It didn't make any sense, really. He started noticing it around two years ago. When he was no longer in love with Maddie. While they were fighting, Vlad began to notice things he never would have looked twice at before. Such as how ghost fighting and puberty helped Danny become more toned. The boy slowly grew taller and was now only about a head shorter than he. His lovely face showed every emotion he felt. Striking blue eyes showed even more when Vlad could look into them long enough. The list just goes on and on. Hiding his feelings wasn't easy. He was used to using all he could to get what he wanted. However, he knew that with Danny, if he ever hoped to have his feelings returned, patience was the key. There was no way gaining his affections or trust besides just spending time with him. Which, luckily, they had all summer to do.

It was Saturday, so Vlad didn't have to go into the office today. Perhaps he could persuade Danny to spend some time with him. As he made his way to the dining room his thoughts wandered. Maybe he could give the little badger a tour? No doubt that could take some time. It will also allow Danny to get used to the mansion. As Vlad was about to turn a corner he heard a mumbled "wait!" behind him. Turning around he saw Danny jogging towards him in his pajamas. He yawned as Vlad raised an eyebrow at him.

"What?" Danny asked groggily.

"You are coming to breakfast in your pajamas?" Vlad asked. Pink tinged Danny's cheeks. Vlad couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah…I couldn't remember how to get to the dining room…I woke up and came out into the hallway and noticed you down here so I didn't really have time to change…." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. Vlad just smirked and continued walking.

"I believe you need to work on your directional skills little badger," Vlad teased when he heard the boy catch up to him.

"Don't blame me! Your house is huge!" Danny exclaimed. "It's kind of excessive."

"Luxury is not excessive, my dear boy. It is style. And I have more than enough to keep up with it." Vlad stated. He glanced over and saw the boy roll his eyes and mutter something. They reached the door and a butler opened it for them. Vlad walked over to the head of the table and sat down. Danny sat next to him and yawned again. "Go to bed late, little badger?" he questioned.

He shrugged. "I'm not a morning person." Two chefs came out and placed their breakfast in front of them. With a bow they left the room the way they had come. It was pancakes with maple syrup. The glasses and condiments were already on the table when they had arrived. It was just a normal breakfast, but Danny was eyeing it with wide eyes. The teenager was practically drooling as he put powder sugar all over his food.

Vlad chuckled as he watched the boy inhale his food. "Slow down Daniel. We don't want you to choke. What do you normally eat for breakfast that makes this so delicious?" He really did start to choke then. His hand shot out and grabbed his cup. Gulping it down Vlad just stared at him. The boy took a deep breath and put his cup back.

Danny blushed a deep red as he mumbled, "If I get to eat breakfast…then…fruitloops…"

Vlad smirked and went back to his own breakfast. That was a surprise. He hadn't expected Danny to react that way to a simple question. It seems that perhaps the chosen cereal's name wasn't a coincidence. Hope burned a degree hotter within Vlad. Maybe his feelings would eventually be returned. If that were true, he would be patient and wait.

Danny finished his breakfast long before Vlad. Slouching in his chair, he sighed and stared off into space. Vlad looked at him with curiosity. Why was the boy just sitting there even though he was done? A frown crossed the teenagers face as he thought about something. As much as Vlad liked him being there, he was not going to treat him differently than he normally would. "Daniel, if you are done you are excused and free to do as you wish. You are not required to stay here until I am finished." Danny glanced up and bit his bottom lip. He looked like he was debating something.

With a sigh he finally asked, "Actually, Vlad, I was wondering if you would help me with my ghost powers? I-If you're not too busy of course…" Rubbing his neck nervously the teen looked down waiting for an answer. Vlad was speechless. It was one thing being friendly and getting along, but they were spending the whole summer together. Never in his dreams did he think Danny would ask _him_ to teach the young boy about his ghost powers. It was certainly unexpected, but not unwelcome.

Vlad smiled, "Of course little badger. I must say I am a little surprised you asked me." He looked at Danny with a questioning look. The boy blushed slightly and squirmed in his seat.

"Well…I figured while I was here…I could at least try to ask you…now that we're not fighting and all…" Danny trailed off looking slightly uncomfortable. Smirking, Vlad stood up and motioned for Danny to follow him. Stumbling after him, the older man headed to his training rooms. Even though Danny had some tone to him, he didn't have as much muscle as he should have. They haven't fought in about a year so Vlad wasn't sure just how strong he was now or if he gained any new powers. The obstacle course should help him give a more accurate reading of where Danny was.

They reached a door and Vlad placed his hand on a reader allowing him to gain access. It beeped and the door slid open. The room was a half circle with one long connecting window all along the wall except for a spot in the corner with a door. There were controls everywhere. With the window currently blacked out, there was no telling what was on the other side. Vlad walked to a control table in the middle of the room. It was the main access computer and only Vlad could get into it. He pulled up the program to register Danny into the training system. The teen just looked around in awe. Motioning him over, Vlad grabbed the boy's wrist. Danny flinched, but didn't try to remove is hand. He placed the young halfa's hand flat on the reader. It scanned over a few times before saving his print.

"I just put your handprint into the software. Now, Daniel, we are going to be registering you voice. When I say, state your first and last name clearly and make sure to enunciate," he explained.

"Do I have to say Daniel? Or can I use Danny?" he asked.

"You may use Danny, if you want." The older halfa typed a few things and then a computer voice spoke.

"State name for authorization." Vlad motioned to Danny.

"Danny Fenton."

"Authorization successful. Reading ectosignature, please wait." Beams of light shot from the control panel at Danny as they memorized his ectosignature. Surprised, he flinched, but didn't move from his spot as the lights scanned over him. The voice spoke once again.

"Scanning complete. Ectosignature reading successful and added to file."

Vlad turned to Danny. "You are now in my training system. You have access to all of the rooms and may use all of the equipment. It recognizes your ectosignature so you don't have to worry about the system going off and attacking you from it thinking you are an intruder. Every time you use the system, the computer logs everything and keeps track of your progress. It will also tell you your strength and weaknesses. Any questions?" He asked.

Danny shook his head. "You weren't kidding about the luxury thing. You said rooms? Meaning more than one? What does this one do?"

"Yes, I have four other rooms for ghost training. This room is an obstacle course designed to test every area. It lasts for 20 minutes and once you go in you cannot come out until it is over. Since we have not fought in a while, I figured this would be a good place to see exactly what level you are at."

He eyed the boy's pajamas. "You may go change your clothes if you like. I will wait here."

Danny looked down remembering what he was wearing. "Nah, it's fine. I will be my ghost half anyway," he shrugged and let the white rings slip over his body. Vlad's heart thumped in his chest as he watched the teenager transform. Danny's ghost half was just as beautiful as his human half. Vlad could never get enough of it. Pushing the thoughts away he flipped a switch to open the door to the training room. Danny headed towards it. He could practically feel Danny's excitement as he walked through the door. Pressing a few buttons, the door closed and the room lit up. He set it to level 1, not wanting to exhaust the boy, just get a reading on his skill and power levels. They still had some training to do afterwards.

Pushing the intercom button, Vlad spoke to Danny. "This room, as well as the other training rooms, is practically indestructible. Do not worry about the equipment either; it is easily replaceable. You do not have to hold back. Try to use all of your ghost powers at some point, as it will give a more accurate reading. Have fun and good luck little badger." Danny turned around and smiled at him, giving a motion saying he was ready.

He smirked as he initiated the program and a countdown appeared on his screen. Almost immediately an assortment of weapons came out of the walls and ceiling. Buildings and structures sprang forth as well. Tapping the countdown on the touchscreen, Vlad started the course. Guns started shooting at Danny and he flipped into the air avoiding the attacks. Sitting down, Vlad got comfortable as he watched Danny for the next 20 minutes.

The boy had improved, that much was certain. It didn't look as if he had gained any new powers, but his current ones were much stronger than before. He could control the ecto energy better; his blasts and shields were stronger without as much work. Danny was already fast to begin with; his spectral tail was proof of that. Now Vlad wondered if challenged to a race, who would win? Despite his improvement he still had room to grow.

He lost track of time as he watched Danny flip, punch, kick and shoot. All too soon the countdown ended and the training room stopped moving. Standing, he opened the door as a data chart popped up on the screen. Danny walked in as Vlad looked over the chart. Glancing at Danny, he smiled. "Good job, little badger. You have definitely improved." Ruffling his hair Vlad noticed that the boy was sweating, but otherwise looked fine. He knocked Vlad's hand away as pink colored his cheeks.

"Uh, thanks. That didn't seem very hard, what level was it?" he questioned.

"Level one. It was not meant to challenge you, just get a read on your levels. Come, let's go and get some real training in. Or are you done for the day?" Vlad raised an eyebrow at him.

An excited smile erupted on Danny's face, "Of course not! Are you ready fruitloop?"

"Always," Vlad smiled.

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Thanks for reading! Comments, questions, concerns, reviews and etc. are greatly appreciated! See ya next chapter!


	4. A Trip to the City

Thanks everybody for the reviews, follows and favorites! I appreciate them a ton :). For some reason this chapter was hard to write. I'm not sure if I got what I wanted across, but we will see.

Disclaimer-I don't own Danny Phantom or any of the characters and whatnot. I just simply take them and do whatever I want with them :D.

Hope you guys enjoy!

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Danny thumped his head on the table and sighed. When was Vlad going to get here? Breakfast wouldn't start without him. It was something Vlad had suggested when Danny had first arrived. To eat every meal as possible together. So they could get to know each other and to help Danny from missing home too much. The thing that confused Danny was the fact he didn't really feel homesick. More like, he didn't feel it at all. Maybe he just didn't miss it yet? As much as he loved Amity Park it was nice to get away from it. _Really_ nice to get away. That was the reason why Danny didn't mind spending his summer with Vlad. He would go with that explanation.

He did miss his friends though. At least they had each other to keep company and hang out with. Suspicion about them had risen over the years. The looks they threw at each other told Danny a whole lot more than they realized. He could see it. Tucker and Sam liked each other even if they weren't willing to admit it or tell him. At one point Danny had a crush on Sam. That's all it turned out to be though; it was just a crush. It faded around his sophomore year. He had thought Sam liked him back at one point, but couldn't be sure. Not that it mattered though. Even if they had gone out, nothing would have happened; both of their feelings changed anyway. That's what he thought was holding Tucker back. Tucker thinks that he still has a thing for Sam. Looks like he should talk to his friend about that.

His thoughts were interrupted when Vlad came through the doors finishing up a phone call. Danny lifted his head as Vlad sighed and sat down. The chefs immediately came with their food. The older halfa looked agitated.

"Sorry for the wait. I had to take that call and I wasn't expecting it to last so long," Vlad explained as he put his napkin in his lap. Danny just starred at him wondering how to improve his mood. When Vlad noticed he was starring he raised a questioning eyebrow causing Danny to turn pink.

"Uhh…nothing…good morning…" he trailed off embarrassed. Finding his food a lot more interesting now, he jumped into eating the meal.

"Good morning, Daniel," Vlad replied smiling as he went back to eating. Why had he just been staring at the man? Confusion spread through him. He didn't want to think about it, so he shoved it away. It could wait for another time.

He wondered what Vlad was going to do today. It was Sunday so he didn't have to work. After their training session yesterday, the older halfa told him to rest today so none of that. Danny did have to admit he was sore, but it felt good to work that hard. Especially when it would help in the long run. Danny hadn't known his human half was so tied into his ghost half. That's why Vlad was so powerful; he was more than in shape. The man had muscle on him and Danny found that out the hard way in hand to hand combat yesterday.

"Any plans today, little badger?" Vlad asked interrupting Danny's thoughts.

"Not really, no."

"Then perhaps you would like to join me on a trip to the city?"

"Sure, that sounds good. When are we leaving?"

"If you are ready, right after breakfast." Vlad smiled and then returned to his meal and newspaper. Danny was excited and hurried to finish his food; he has never been to a huge city like that before. Amity Park was a decent size, but nothing like this one. He wondered what all they could do there. Vlad would know, that's where his office is located; at least that's what Danny thought. But then again, Vlad used to spend all of his free time being a pompous jerk. What does the older hybrid do for fun now that he has stopped all of that? His thoughts wandered to the different hobbies the man could have picked up. An image of Vlad sewing popped into his mind. Danny burst into laughter and the other halfa raised a questioning eyebrow.

"What do you find so amusing Daniel?"

There was no way in hell he was telling Vlad. He reined his laughter in the best he could. "It's nothing…" When the older halfa stared at him, he just turned away blushing.

Vlad looked at his watch and then at the teen, sitting with an empty plate. "Well, shall we go then?" He stood and began to walk out. Danny jumped up and followed him, not sure where to go. His thoughts wandered back to what he had been laughing about.

At least Vlad dropped it. Who knows what he would have done if he found out. Danny had decided to trust the man, but that doesn't mean he wasn't still weary of him. They had been arch-enemies for so long, it's hard to not revert back to it. It was obvious Vlad had put it behind him, so shouldn't he was well? But then again, it would be easy for Vlad to do that; he wasn't the one on the receiving end of his madness. Should Danny forgive him so easily? Common sense told him he shouldn't, but he just _knew_ Vlad had changed. He really didn't have any proof, but he felt it. Shaking his head abruptly he cleared away the thoughts, he was becoming as crazy as Vlad!

They came out of the west side of the Mansion. To the right there looked to be about a ten-car garage not including space for the limo Vlad owned. The older hybrid walked over to the garage. Typing on a keypad, he opened a door on the side and went in. Gasping, Danny froze. Some of the most expensive cars were in here and in a wide assortment of colors. It shouldn't come as a surprise really, Vlad was a billionaire. That didn't stop Danny from being impressed.

Grabbing a random key from the wall, Vlad walked over to a blue Mercedes. As he reached for the drivers door Danny asked, "Hey Vlad! Can I drive?" He smiled at the man with the most innocent smile he could muster.

Vlad wasn't falling for it. "No." He climbed into the car without further comment.

"Aw come on! I have my license!" Danny whined as he sat in the leather seat.

"The answer is still no, little badger." Vlad turned the key and the car purred to life. As Vlad pressed a button on the steering wheel, the garage door opened. Pulling out, they made their way down his driveway towards the main road. They sat in silence for a few minutes as Vlad drove them towards the city.

"Why?" Danny asked.

"Why what? You need to state your question more clearly Daniel."

"Why can't I drive?"

"Because you are only seventeen and you had that idiot of a father teach you," Vlad stated simply.

Letting the jibe slide, he continued, "My dad didn't teach me, it was my mom. And I don't see why me being seventeen has anything to do with it."

"It has everything to do with it. At seventeen you will act stupid and reckless. Teenagers are far more likely to get into an accident because of this. Not only that you don't know your way to or around the city. So for now, I will drive."

"If we get into an accident it's not like you can't pay for the damages…" Danny mumbled. He knew he was pushing the older hybrids patience, but he just didn't see why he couldn't drive.

Vlad sighed. "It is not about the money or the car Daniel. It is about whose lives you will impact. Even if you just swerved off the road and hit a tree you could still cause yourself harm, which is bad enough. Just imagine if you hit somebody else and they were seriously injured or worse, if they died. That would be the consequences of your actions for not thinking and being reckless. How would you feel if you took someone's life away all because you weren't thinking? You wouldn't have just impacted the person you hit, but their loved ones as well." Danny swallowed hard, he hadn't thought of that. He no longer wanted to drive. Vlad continued, "Driving a nice car for the first time will just distract you and you are already inexperienced enough as it is. I will not allow you to take that risk and put yourself in danger."

Danny didn't know how to take that last sentence. Did Vlad really care that much? It seemed so. It seemed that his instincts about Vlad having changed, were right. It was somewhat surprising that he had, but Danny wasn't complaining. With them being the only two hybrids, fighting each other felt lonely and pointless. There were many times he had wanted to talk to Vlad just so he knew he wasn't the only one. So many times he was confused and wanted to have some reassurance that what he was going through was normal. To feel like somebody understood him for once and truly knew what he was going through. To know that Vlad felt the bond they shared too.

Danny sighed and relaxed back into the leather, starring out the window. It was pointless to just sit there and wonder. Vlad could clear everything right up, if Danny had the courage to talk to him about it. His mood turned a little sour. He didn't want to think about this right now. Fun, they were supposed to be having fun; not staying in their own little worlds. The city was quickly approaching.

Looking at Vlad, he decided to try to make the atmosphere better. "So, what is there to do in the city?"

"Plenty, little badger. Of course, it all depends on your interests. There are a few museums, art galleries, a theatre, music ha-"

Danny interrupted him, "anything NOT in the fine arts department?"

Vlad chuckled, "You should appreciate the fine arts Daniel. They are the first step for what eventually becomes the music you listen to and movies you watch. But, yes, there are many other things to do. Let's see, there is a zoo and aquarium, mall, planetarium, pa-"

"Did you say planetarium? Can we go there?" excitement coursed through him.

"Of course little badger." Vlad smiled as he glanced at him. Danny just beamed back, excited to finally be going to a planetarium. The closest one was, well, here. With his parents' ghost hunting and building inventions they never really had time to come. His dream of becoming an astronaut was pretty much shot because of his grades, but he could still have it as a hobby.

As they entered the city Danny couldn't help but stare. It was so different than Amity Park and so much bigger. He felt lost even though they were only a few streets in. After a few more minutes, Vlad pulled up to an expensive valet service. They got out and he handed the keys to the valet and told them they would be gone all day. Vlad led the way and Danny followed. He noticed that people were staring as they walked. Most of them seemed to be curious glances; some were down right gawking.

"Just ignore them," Vlad said noticing Danny was uncomfortable with the starring.

"Easy for you to say…" he muttered. The pompous jerk just smiled. Vlad was used to this kind of thing. The man was a billionaire and a very famous one at that. Danny lived his life with a secret. He was not used to getting attention like this. In fact, he avoided it, until now at least. Walking closer to Vlad to avoid running into people, he tried his best to ignore the stares.

When they turned a corner, the buildings seemed to be spaced farther apart. Looking into the distance Danny could make out a park and the planetarium sitting in the middle. Excited, he started walking faster. They came to a cross walk and waited for it to change. Shuffling from foot to foot, Danny couldn't control his excitement.

Vlad glanced down at him. "Excited little badger?"

Realizing what he was doing, he stopped his feet and stood still. "Um…just a little bit." A slight blush crept onto his cheeks.

The older hybrid laughed. "I'm glad you are excited. The point of this trip was to have fun after all." The blush deepened slightly as he stared at the ground.

Vlad nudged him when the light changed and they hurried across the street. In no time at all they were walking into the planetarium. As Vlad paid Danny grabbed a brochure and looked at all they could do. Most of it was just exhibits, which were fine. There was a show starting in the theater in fifteen minutes though. They could watch that and then walk around afterwards.

Danny glanced up at him. "Hey, Vlad? How about we watch this show and then walk around the exhibits after?"

"Whatever you want to do little badger," he replied with a smile. Grinning back, Danny led the way to the theater or tried at least. Vlad ended up taking the brochure and found the way for them. The theater was a decent size, enough to fit maybe 150 people. It was only about a quarter of the way filled. They made their way towards the middle and sat, just in time, as the lights dimmed down. The screen lit up as the show began to play.

Thirty minutes later they walked out and Danny didn't know what half of the show was about. As soon as the lights had gone down he was completely attuned to Vlad. He couldn't concentrate and kept sneaking glances at the man. After trying so hard to pay attention to the screen, and not the other halfa sitting next to him, Vlad had to go and put his arm on the back of Danny's seat. That was it, he didn't see any more of the show. The fruit loop had the nerve to be relaxed the entire time while he had practically squirmed in his seat.

"How did you like the movie Daniel?" Vlad brought him out of his thoughts.

"It was good," he answered lamely. "Let's go see some of the exhibits now." Walking towards the first room he heard Vlad follow him.

They walked around the exhibits and Danny was still in the same state as he was in the theater. The teen tried his best to act normal. He just couldn't shake the feeling though. It was strange, why was he so interested in Vlad? Pushing the thoughts away, he was determined to have a good time.

They reached the last room and Danny pushed the doors open. It was pitch black. When the door closed behind them, cutting out all light, the room lit up. He gasped. It was absolutely beautiful. The room was dome shaped and covered entirely in stars, galaxies, suns, planets and more. It was amazing. Danny spun around slowly drinking everything in. He found the Milky Way and spotted some constellations. Walking up to the wall, Danny floated a bit to get a closer look. Everything was made up of lights and paint. It was still breathtaking.

Danny startled when two hands grabbed his waist and pulled him back down. He was surprised to see just how far up he had floated. "Now now, little badger, we can't have somebody see you doing that." Vlad chuckled.

"Oh yeah, sorry." He grinned at Vlad and then went back to looking for constellations and different galaxies. At one point Danny happened to see the older halfa out of the corner of his eye. Vlad was staring at him and a blush leapt to Danny's face. "Uhh…is something wrong?" He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Not at all. Why do you ask?"

"Well…you were starring at me…" He trailed off.

Vlad smiled. "Yes, I was starring. Forgive me. I was much more content with watching you become excited over something you love rather than the room itself," he stated bluntly.

Danny's blush darkened as he muttered "fruit loop" and turned back to looking at the room. Danny smiled, maybe Vlad really wasn't that bad after all.

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Okay, so these chapters are slowly getting longer...do you guys like longer chapters? I sure hope so haha. Reviews are greatly appreciated! See ya next chapter!


	5. Day at Work

Alrighty! Here is chapter five! THANK YOU ALL FOR THE REVIEWS! I'm a lazy person, so I don't respond to any of them individually...sorry :P. This story flowed from my brain to my hands so much easier and faster than the last chapter. The last chapter was almost overcome with writer's block...but I persevered!

Hope you enjoy! Oh, and I'm sure a lot of you are going to kill me for the end of this chapter hehe.

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Vlad hung up the phone and sighed. "Is something wrong Mr. Masters?" his secretary asked.

"No, email me the notes from this morning's meeting. After that type up this document and email it to the engineer department for review and finalization," he ordered handing her the needed papers. Nodding, she grabbed the folder and left his office, the door closing with a soft click behind her. Vlad tried to distract himself with his work. It only lasted so long before he was just starring at his computer screen.

Danny was leaving tomorrow afternoon when his parents came to pick him up. He was sad to see him go, but knew the boy missed his parents and friends. It was safe to say it was the best summer Vlad had ever experienced. Watching Danny learn and grow was a magnificent gift. His little badger was a quick learner. Without ghosts to consistently distract him, he progressed quickly enough the tutor wasn't needed for the last three weeks. Danny really was smart, when he applied himself that is.

His ghost powers were doing even better than his grades. Whenever he could, he would snatch Vlad away to teach him something or randomly attack him for practice. Not that he minded, he told the boy to do exactly that. Vlad needed to actually put in effort when he fought Danny now. It was a nice change to be at least slightly challenged, and by the young halfa no less. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he took a deep breath and forced himself to focus on his work. His work was being completed, but his thoughts were elsewhere.

Their friendship was shaky and rough at first, but that was to be expected. It took Danny about two weeks before he finally fully relaxed and let his guard down. After that it was a whirlwind friendship. There was so much they had in common. Vlad realized just how little they knew about each other while learning more and more about Danny. Thoughts wandering, he didn't notice how much time had passed until there came a knock from his office door. Without glancing up he said a loud "come in" and the door opened. Assuming it was his secretary he automatically addressed the person. "Sarah, I will be with you in a few moments if you-"

"My name's not Sarah you know," a familiar voice addressed him. Looking up he saw a certain raven-haired teenager walking towards his desk. His heartbeat sped up a bit as the object of his thoughts stood before him. Raising an eyebrow he eyed the paper bags in the boy's hands.

"Daniel, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, so you do know my name," he smirked. Vlad just rolled his eyes. Holding up the bags he said, "I'm here for lunch. Since it's our last day together and you couldn't take off work I figured we could just force some time in. Eating lunch seemed like the best option." Vlad was surprised, to say the least. He never would have expected Danny to come here on his own. Then again, he expected a bigger fight out of the boy when he came for the summer. Danny placed the bags on his desk as he pulled up a chair to sit across from Vlad. Moving his work out of the way, he grabbed the bag that was handed to him. He reached in and pulled out his usual lunch. Danny had surprised him yet again.

"How did you know what I eat for lunch?" Vlad asked him.

The teen swallowed before answering; he noted that Danny's table manners had improved as well. "I called your secretary the other day and asked. I also made sure she didn't get you your food today. You know how much trouble it was to get a fu-"

"Language Daniel," he interrupted.

Danny stuck his tongue out at the man before continuing, "to get a visitor's pass up to this floor? I had to come here yesterday to get my _picture_ taken! You know for a half ghost you have a crap ton of security to go through to get up here." He finished shoving more of his lunch in his mouth.

Vlad chuckled. "I'm not half ghost to the rest of the world. It's mostly for appearance my dear boy and to help make my life simpler if somebody attempts to do something foolish."

"Oh, well that's cool I guess," Danny shrugged.

"By the way, which car did you take to get here?"

"How do you know I didn't fly?"

"I know you, and there is no way you passed up driving a nice car when you don't know when you will get to again. That and you fly all of the time. Driving is new and probably still interesting to you." Danny scowled at him and Vlad laughed.

"The Lamborghini." Smiling Vlad returned to his lunch. After their first trip into the city, and Vlad's lecture on driving, it had taken some time before Danny asked to drive again. Vlad was apprehensive at first, but decided to let him try on the main road by his mansion. If anything went wrong Vlad could just turn the car intangible. That was a last resort though. Once again surprising him, the teen turned out to be an excellent driver. He agreed to let Danny drive whenever he wanted after that. Of course he jumped at the chance to drive Vlad's cars. What teenager wouldn't?

Vlad took a longer lunch break than normal, not used to the company. After about an hour of chatting with Danny, he decided it was time to return to work. When he told the teen he would see him when he got home, Danny pouted. Shock crossed Vlad's face before he erased it. It honestly looked like he wanted to stay with him. Danny looked so cute, he couldn't resist. "If you would like, you can stay here until my meeting in a hour and a half," a bright smile lit up Danny's face. "I won't be able to keep you entertained though," he warned.

"That's fine, I will just watch you," the raven-haired teen replied with a smile. His heart fluttered and he couldn't help but smile back. Danny placed crossed arms on the desk and laid his head to the side, soft locks of hair drifting across his face. Doing as he said, he just watched Vlad with intense blue eyes.

Getting back to work, he was determined to finish as quickly as possible. The more he finished before his meeting the less he had to do before he headed home. This would be the last day he would have somebody waiting for him. Sorrow dragged him down a notch. He hadn't realized just how much happier his life became since Danny began living with him. Perhaps the boy could come visit?

Vlad looked down to ask if he liked the idea and saw Danny was asleep on his desk. Warmth spread through his chest at the sight. They had stayed up late last night when Danny refused to go to bed until he could beat Vlad at chess. Vlad had asked him to play near the beginning of the summer. He taught the teenager strategies and slowly watched him get better, but never once let him win. It wasn't truly a victory if he did not win on his own or with handicaps.

Early in the evening Danny challenged him saying they weren't leaving this room until he beat Vlad. He was getting closer and closer each time. After playing game after game, Danny finally won. By that point it was around two thirty in the morning and they were both exhausted. As Vlad put the chessboard away, he didn't notice the boy crawl into his bed and promptly fall asleep. When he saw the younger halfa in his bed, he probably should have moved Danny to his room or slept in another one. Instead he decided to just crawl on the other side and sleep with him.

Vlad had woken up this morning with Danny wrapped around him. It had been so long since somebody had slept with him, he couldn't help but stare at the teen. He only hoped that eventually this would be an everyday thing. A ridiculous hope it seemed; they were friends now, but Vlad wasn't even sure if Danny was interested in guys.

Pushing his thoughts away Vlad was determined to make sure the time they had left would be wonderful. He had about twenty minutes before his meeting. If he let Danny sleep until then he would leave groggy and Vlad didn't want him driving like that. It would be best to wake him now. "Daniel," he said while lightly shaking the younger's arm.

Danny buried his head a little further into his arms as he mumbled a small "Vlad." The older halfa's heart raced when he heard his name pass through the boy's lips. It shouldn't be a surprise really; they had spent the whole summer together. Smiling, he shook his shoulder a little harder. The young halfa woke up this time and rubbed his eyes sleepily.

"Have a nice nap little badger?" he asked with a smile.

A blush touched Danny's cheeks as he stretched a little. "Um…yeah," he replied embarrassed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry."

Vlad chuckled. "It's quite alright. I woke you up because I have a meeting to go to in twenty minutes. You may stay here until then if you like," he offered. A smile lit up Danny's face as he nodded.

Their conversation flowed easily and time passed by quicker than he wanted. Sarah poked her head in to remind Vlad his meeting was in five minutes. He thanked her as she closed his office door. Grabbing a folder and some papers he led Danny out of his office. "Alright Daniel, I will see you when I get home. One of my assistants will show you the way out. Drive safely." Vlad smiled as he ruffled the teen's raven locks.

"I can get out fine by myself you know," Danny replied smoothing his hair back down.

"If you learning your way around my mansion is any indication, then no, you cannot." Vlad laughed at the teen's glare. "Directions are just not your strong suit little badger."

Danny rolled his eyes, "Whatever fruitloop." He turned and started walking towards the elevators with a young intern following him.

"Goodbye, Daniel."

Turning around with a smile, Danny waved and said, "See ya Vlad!" Then he rushed off to catch the closing elevator doors.

Vlad starred after him for a minute, smiling fondly. His secretary seemed to catch the look on his face. "You really love him, don't you?" she said, it wasn't a question. Sarah, just as perceptive as ever.

Vlad just smiled some more. "Yes, I do. Is it that obvious?" He asked as they walked towards the meeting room.

"I have been your secretary for ten years and I have never had anybody call me to ask what you do for lunch so they could spend it with you. I was quite shocked to say the least. He was very excited too. He told me it was a surprise and to not tell you. I'm glad you finally found somebody," she smiled at him with sincerity.

He couldn't help, but smile back. "Thank you, Sarah." She smiled back as she stayed outside the room if anybody came by. Pushing the doors to the meeting room open, Vlad couldn't help but feel lucky with who he ended up with as his secretary. She was exceptional at her job, kept their relationship professional and was kind and caring. The model example of any great employee. Sitting down he greeted those at the meeting and they began.

Not even fifteen minutes into the meeting Sarah burst into the room without so much as a knock. Vlad raised an eyebrow confused as she walked over to him with his phone in her hand. He left it with her so the calls could be handled while he was in meetings. She had a worried look on her face and his heart almost stopped beating. Emergencies were the only reason she was allowed to interrupt his meetings.

"What's wrong?" he asked concern in his voice. Sarah just handed him the phone.

"Vlad Masters speaking," he stated, his voice calm when he felt anything but. Vlad had a horrible feeling it had to do with Danny.

"Mr. Masters? This is Officer Williams from the Madison police department. You were put down as Danny Fenton's emergency contact for the time being, correct?" the officer asked.

He was right. Vlad swallowed quickly before answering. "Yes, that is correct." Horrible dread coursed through his veins and his heart sped up.

"There has been an accident."

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Oh snap! I bet a lot of you hate me now hehe. I couldn't help it! It was like the perfect cliffhanger! Soooo, what did you think? Reviews are appreciated, but not necessary! See ya next chapter!


	6. Lucky

Whoa, you guys really hate cliffhangers huh? However, because of that I got a ton of reviews...maybe I should do it more often? Hm, nah that's too mean haha. Anyway, thank you all for the reviews and whatnot! They make me super happy and excited to keep writing. I write not only for myself, but for you guys as well. So, a few things before you get your delicious little chapter, unless you skip this of course, that I would like to mention. First, for those of you worried, if you like DannyxVlad, but don't necessarily don't like reading lemons or smut, at this point in time I don't plan on including anything bedroom wise. However, that could change which is why the rating is still T. If it does change then my rating will as well and there will be a warning about it. Second, and I can't stress this enough, if you don't like this ship/pairing or homosexual activities then leave. You won't hurt my feelings if you don't read it. In fact, I would prefer that to flaming it for no reason because I get excited for a review and then I see a pointless flame. Small rant over, moving on. Third (wow I am talking a lot this time...), currently Danny is 17 if you didn't catch it in chapter...an earlier chapter (hehe I forget which). I don't know when their relationship will turn romantic. So, currently Danny is underage and it is illegal depending on what state you are in. In Illinois the age of consent is 17, where I am assuming Amity Park is along with most of DP nation. However, in Wisconsin it is 18, but to make this fic less confusing then it is going to get, and it is going to be getting intense in a few chapters, I am just giving a national age of 17. I don't care what you think or say, because it is fiction and I can do what I want...hehe.

I doubt you read that all, and if you did congrats, here is a digital cookie. I won't be bringing any of that up again so you have no reason to worry haha. I don't own Danny Phantom and enjoy!

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Anxiety and nervousness coursed through Vlad's veins as he ran to the scene of the accident. The street had been barricaded off a few blocks down and he wasn't waiting for them to let his car through. As he reached the scene dread caused his heart to beat frantically. All that was left of the two cars were twisted mashed up pieces of metal and glass. The chances of surviving such a crash were slim to none. Fear bubbled up as he searched for Danny. He spotted an ambulance and headed towards it. An officer stopped him and he almost punched the man for doing so.

"I'm sorry sir bu-" the officer began before Vlad interrupted him.

"I am Vlad Masters and I am looking for Danny Fenton," he said with a frustrated snarl.

The officer looked a little wide-eyed as he nodded. "Sorry sir, right this way." He led the way and Vlad could do little but follow. When he spotted Danny he full out ran towards him. As he approached, Danny glanced up from an EMS attending to a gash on his forehead. Fear flashed onto his face when he saw Vlad, but he paid no mind, instead scanning him quickly from head to toe. The boy looked relatively okay and Vlad released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Relief flooded through him as he walked in front of Danny.

"Daniel-" was all he got out before Danny started to frantically apologize.

"V-Vlad! I'm s-sorry, I-I di-" he stopped when Vlad quickly embraced him. Hugging the boy to his chest, he softly pet the black locks. When he pulled away, he scanned Danny's face thoroughly and gazed into those sapphire blue eyes. "Vlad? Why aren't you mad? I wrecked your car…" the teen asked with anxiety clear in his voice.

"Oh Daniel, I don't care about the stupid car. I'm just glad you are okay." Danny looked doubtful and still anxious. "Daniel, listen to me." At that he looked directly into Vlad's eyes, fear still lingering. "I don't care about the car. I can easily replace it. I cannot ever replace you, nor do I want to." With that statement, Vlad could see the relief course through Danny's body. All of a sudden the teen started crying. Confusion swept through Vlad and he hugged the boy close to him once again. Danny eagerly embraced him back and hid his face in Vlad's chest. Quietly shushing him and rubbing light circles over his small back he noticed an EMS motion to him. Regretfully pulling away, he smiled and handed him his handkerchief. A faint blush was on the younger's face as he gave a small smile and muttered a thanks.

Vlad followed the EMS out of Danny's earshot, at least what the EMS thought, not knowing he was half ghost. "Mister Masters, correct?" the EMS clarified.

"Yes that is correct. May I ask what happened?"

"We're not too entirely sure. Based off of the boy's statement, the way it looks now and eyewitnesses it was not his fault. It appears he was going through this stop light while it was green here," the EMS gestured. "As he was doing so the other car ran his red light. It seems he noticed the on coming car and tried to dodge; however with the other cars and the speed the on coming car was doing he wasn't successful. He did manage to swerve the car enough that the on coming car struck into the back end of the car instead of the front. His little maneuver may have well saved his life. The other driver had to be taken immediately to the hospital and is in critical condition. It looks as if the boy only sustained some cuts and bruises, but is otherwise okay. I would suggest taking him to the hospital though, as the gash on his head may have led to a slight concussion. He could also have some internal injuries that aren't appearing or noticeable at this moment. However the decision is up to you. The police have already obtained his statement so all you have left to do is answer a few of their questions and you are good to go. Do you have any questions?" the EMS finished.

Vlad couldn't help but wonder. "What would have happened if he hadn't swerved?"

"There is no real way to tell, but we can make assumptions. Based on their speeds and the point of contact it's quite possible he would have died before we arrived or upon impact. The other driver might still be in relatively the same condition as the point of contact on his car would have basically been the same. He is a very lucky young man." The EMS, noticing he had no more questions, walked away then and Vlad had to take a minute to gather his thoughts. Taking a deep breath he walked over to the nearest officer and answered their questions. After they had his answers and contact info, Vlad made his way back to Danny.

The teen was sitting on the back of the ambulance, talking with an EMS. When he saw Vlad he tried to stand, but the EMS made him stay seated. "Vlad, I told them I was fine, but they won't let me leave until you say it's okay." He looked at him with pleading eyes, and Vlad saw the hidden meaning, but he wasn't taking Danny home until he was sure he was okay.

"You are not fine. You were just in a serious car accident and need to be fully looked at. Now let's head to the hospital." He motioned to the EMS and they moved Danny into the vehicle, Vlad following closely behind. He sat next to Danny on the bench because the boy refused the stretcher. Placing an arm around his shoulders he felt the young hybrid tense for a moment and then relax into the contact.

An hour later, they were at the hospital in a room waiting for the tests results to come back. The doctor had said Danny looked fine, but wanted to make sure after hearing the description of the accident from the EMS on sight. Vlad couldn't help but to stare at the boy. He couldn't believe he almost lost him. Danny fidgeted and then looked at Vlad as if he wanted to say something, but then decided against it.

"Daniel, if there is something you wish to say, then go ahead and say it," he encouraged.

Taking a deep breath, the teen looked at Vlad. "Vlad, I really am very sorry. If I had just seen him sooner then-"

"Then what? You could have prevented this? None of this would have happened?" Danny nodded weakly. "Little badger, I already told you, I don't care about the car. I only care that you are okay." Vlad sighed at the still upset teen. "Did you hear what the EMS told me?"

A faint blush crept onto his face. "I tried, but the other EMS was talking to me so I couldn't pay attention enough to hear anything."

"He said it wasn't your fault. In fact, if you hadn't swerved the other car would have hit the front of the car instead of the rear and it's quite a possibility you would have been seriously hurt or worse. You did nothing wrong." Danny looked a little better, but still upset. Vlad sighed figuring that was bound to happen considering what the young halfa just went through.

The doctor knocked and came in then with a tablet, papers and some medical supplies in his hands. He flashed a smile at both of them and sat down, putting his things on the countertop. "You are a very lucky young man, Danny. You managed to come out of this horrible accident with just some cuts and bruises, unlike the other party. However, you do need a few stitches on your forehead. Lucky for you, even though it will scar, it won't be bad and it's right next to your hairline so it won't be really noticeable." He put on some latex gloves and grabbed the medical supplies. "Now, if you could lie down and I will sterilize the cut. I will then numb the area and stitch you up. Just a little paperwork afterwards and you will be free to go home."

Thirty minutes later they were walking out of the hospital with a bottle of painkillers and an exhausted Danny. His driver was waiting for them in the parking lot. With his hand on the small of the teen's back, he led them to the waiting car. They rode in silence for a while with Danny's head resting on Vlad's shoulder. He was sure the young hybrid was asleep as he ran his fingers through the silky midnight black locks. Until he spoke that is.

"So much for making the most out of our last day together huh?" Danny asked in a tired voice.

Vlad chuckled lightly, "you always make life exciting, little badger."

The silence enveloped them once again, but it was comfortable. Danny squirmed a little and Vlad raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. "Vlad?" the teen asked with apprehension clear in his voice.

"Yes Daniel?" he answered with curiosity.

"Um, would you consider us friends now?" Danny asked hesitantly.

"I do. Why do you ask? Do you not wish to be friends?" Anxiety crept into his heart, but he did not dare let it show.

"No! That's not it, I do want to be friends! It's just…since we are friends…would you mind if…I came to visit sometimes?" Danny muttered fidgeting.

Vlad noticed the pink tinge that blossomed on the teen's face and ears. He couldn't help but laugh. "Of course you can, any time you wish. You are in my system, remember? You can come and go as you please without worry. I may not always be here, but you are still allowed to visit."

Danny looked up at him then. "Really?" A smile was playing on his lips, excitement shining through those sapphire eyes.

"You are always welcome here Daniel, no matter what happens. You can come to me for anything, whether it's just a visit or you need a shoulder to lean on," he said with all the sincerity he could muster. The car stopped and Vlad noticed they were home. After climbing out of the car he helped Danny out, the boy was a little unsteady because of the pain medication the nurses gave him.

As they were walking inside Danny stopped him. "Thanks Vlad." The young halfa grinned up at him. His heart sped up a little at the warmth and happiness he was giving him.

Vlad smiled as he ruffled Danny's hair. "Any time, little badger. Now, how about some dinner?" They made their way to the dinning room and ate. Afterwards, they went to his theater room to watch a movie. Danny took a dose of his pain medication for a small headache. He noticed the teen was yawning after only ten minutes. About half way through the movie, Vlad noticed Danny had fallen asleep beside him. Carefully, he pulled the young hybrid's head onto his lap, acting as a pillow. He snuggled into Vlad's lap and mumbled something. Smiling fondly at the teen, he softly ran his fingers through the raven tresses.

He couldn't focus on the movie any longer. With Danny on his lap, he could do little, but stare and let his thoughts wander. Would he really come visit him? The teen had seemed eager to. That didn't mean that he would though. Between school, his friends, family and ghost hunting it wouldn't surprise him if Danny had time to sleep, let alone visit him. There wasn't much Vlad could do about it though. At least the teen _wanted_ to come visit him.

They had talked about which colleges Danny wanted to apply for. Vlad had been surprised to hear the University of Wisconsin near the top of his list. He had expected his alumni to never even be considered, let alone one the teen really wanted to attend. Warmth filled him as Vlad continued to think about their summer. Their friendship seemed to be a miracle and he wouldn't trade it for the world. His chances of being with Danny romantically were still slim, but he hadn't lost hope. If they became friends, why can't they eventually become more?

The bandage on the teen's forehead caught Vlad's attention and his heart clenched. He was close to almost losing him today. If his reflexes had been even half a second slower, he could have died. The thought turned Vlad cold. He truly loved the boy. Maddie was the center of his affections for over twenty years. But he had never loved her the way he loves Danny.

Vlad glanced and noticed the credits were rolling. He carefully picked Danny up and flew him to his room. Tenderly placing him down on the soft blankets he then slipped off the teen's shoes and socks. As he was pulling the blankets over him the young hybrid opened his eyes and looked straight at Vlad. Before he had a chance to react Danny then grabbed his arm and pulled the older hybrid into the bed with him. He proceeded to hug Vlad close to him and fall back asleep, breathing softly.

Shock played through his mind at what just occurred. This behavior wasn't typical of Danny. Even though he opened his eyes, he didn't seem fully lucid. Perhaps it was because of the events he went through today coupled with the medication? That had to be it. He reached down and slipped his own shoes off and pulled the blanket over them.

Holding Danny close to him Vlad drifted off to sleep with hopes that one day, this would become something he looked forward to every night.

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Okay so not really a cliff hanger I think...probably is because it isn't the end haha. So, what did you guys think? Reviews and comments are appreciated! Oh, I am thinking about starting another fic (not a oneshot), would you be interested in reading it? See ya next chapter!


	7. Broken Friendship

Hey everybody! Thank you all for the wonderful reviews/favorites/follows! Oh, the story I talked about in the author's note at the end of the last chapter? Yeah I have finished the prologue and it's out! It's called Only One Thing...which I realized the acronym for it is OOT...which is the acronym for Ocarina of Time! How awesome is that? If you don't know what I'm talking about you are seriously deprived and need to find out IMMEDIATELY. Hint: It's one of the most popular game franchises EVER. Anddd I'm obsessed with it hehe. Anywho, onto the chapter!

Enjoy! :D

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Clouds danced around the sky as sunlight was scattered into the room. A gentle breeze blew in through the open window causing the curtains to ruffle. Sleep ebbed away from the teen as a slight throb in his head awoke him. That was when he noticed he was warmer than he normally was. Forcing his heavy eyes to open, Danny found himself staring into the sleeping face of Vlad. Red flashed onto his face and ears as he realized he was wrapped in the older halfa's arms and their legs entwined.

Embarrassed, he tried to get out of the man's arms without waking him. It didn't work. Vlad stirred, moving his arms to stretch. Glancing at Danny he smiled. "Good morning, little badger. Sleep well?" He asked as if it was the most normal thing in the world to wake up like this.

Dumbfounded, it took Danny a minute to get his mouth to work. "Um…y-yeah…h-how did…?" The teen couldn't finish his question as the red on his face deepened. Vlad sat up and he followed suit, confused as to how they ended up like this.

Vlad chuckled. "You don't remember?" He shook his head. "You fell asleep during the movie and I carried you here to your room. I laid you down and as I was pulling the covers up over you. You opened your eyes, looked at me, grabbed and pulled me down onto the bed with you, then proceeded to snuggle up next to me and go back to sleep. It was interesting to say the least." Vlad grinned when he saw him open and close his mouth trying to say something. "How are you feeling?"

Danny got his mouth working again, "fine."

Vlad smiled down at him. "That's good." He ruffled Danny's hair then made his way to his own room. Before he was out the door he turned around, "I suggest you start getting up, it is ten and your parents said they would be here by eleven. You still have to pack as well. Oh and make sure to take some of your medicine." With that, Vlad turned around and left, leaving Danny alone.

Sighing, he got up and took a quick shower. After drying himself off and getting dressed, he gathered his things and started packing. His hand hesitated over the souvenirs and gifts Danny had received from Vlad. A strong feeling told him to leave them there. He loved them all and wanted to have them, but he also wanted them safe and protected. With ghosts and his parents' wacky inventions always destroying his room, nothing was safe there. He didn't really have anything with sentimental value. With a sigh, he replaced them on the shelves and tables. Hopefully Vlad wouldn't mind.

Danny didn't want to leave. Him and Vlad had grown close. The bond they shared before was only strengthened over the summer. He missed Vlad when the older halfa went on business trips. What was he going to do now that he was going home? Hopefully he could find some time between everything to visit about once a week. Danny laughed as he realized that a little over three months ago he would never even think about visiting Vlad. Now he was trying to _force_ the time in.

He did miss his friends and family though. It would be nice to see them. Sam and Tucker still weren't very happy that he spent his summer with Vlad and _enjoyed _it. When he talked to them yesterday, before having lunch with the older hybrid, they were angry was putting it lightly. No matter how much he argued how Vlad had changed they wouldn't believe it. Eventually they moved on to talking about other things, but the tension was still there. He was worried that they wouldn't ever believe him and continue to hate Vlad. That wasn't something he wanted, but it would be hard to convince them.

Walking down the steps he heard the doorbell ring. Vlad answered the door and his parents walked in. With a smile, he went over and gave them each a hug. "Danny-boy! So great to see you! Did you have fun with Vladdie?" his dad asked excitedly.

"Yeah, it was fun." He grinned back at his dad as his mother kissed his cheek.

"Oh Danny, we missed you so much! The symposium was fun, but I missed my baby. And I have been worried sick ever since you two called yesterday! I'm just glad you're okay," Maddie exclaimed.

"Mooom," he whined. He was seventeen already and his mom was _still_ treating him like he was nine. Hearing a chuckle he glanced and saw Vlad smirk. Shooting the older hybrid a glare, he let his dad take his bags.

"Thanks so much for letting Danny stay V-man! And for taking care of him!" Jack slapped Vlad on the back and walked out back to the RV. This time it was Danny's turn to smirk and Vlad to glare.

"Yes, we couldn't thank you enough Vlad, especially after the accident yesterday. I hope he wasn't too much trouble." Maddie said gratitude.

"It's no problem and he was no trouble at all. Do have a safe drive back." Vlad replied.

Maddie smiled in thanks and then turned to Danny. "We'll be in the RV, say goodbye to Vlad. We have a long drive ahead of us so make it quick and be sure to thank him." Maddie turned and made her way to the RV.

Vlad turned to him. "Try to be safer, little badger." He gently ruffled his hair. "Be sure to make time for your studies, we don't want the tutor to go to waste do we?"

Danny nodded and shuffled from foot to foot. Should he do it? Or would it be weird? He rubbed his neck nervously not sure what to say. "Uh yeah, I will." Vlad raised a curious brow at the way he was acting and Danny knew it was now or never. Before he backed down, he hugged the older hybrid, wrapping his arms around him tightly. He felt Vlad tense and then return the hug with equal fervor. "Thanks Vlad, I'll be sure to visit." Pulling away he ran out before Vlad could see the blush coating his cheeks.

Vlad chuckled. "Goodbye Daniel."

Turning around he yelled, "see ya fruitloop!" Then ran to the RV and hopped in. The ride home seemed to fly by, as his thoughts did nothing but continue to come back to Vlad. Danny had to try to get his friends to understand. He understood why they were apprehensive, but why didn't they believe him? Sighing, he looked up and noticed they were entering Amity Park. Excitement coursed through him at being home and seeing his friends.

Once they were home, he dropped of his bags and ran out the front door yelling he'd be back later. Quickly ducking into an Ally, he transformed and flew off towards Sam's house. The sun burned down on him as clouds dotted the summer sky. When he got to her window, he noticed Tucker was there and they both had strange looks on their faces. Confused, he knocked on the window to get their attention. Both snapped their heads up, shock crossing both of his friends' faces before they waved him in. A sudden feeling of dread coursed through Danny as he landed on the soft carpet and switched back to his human half. Something bad was about to happen; he could feel it.

"Hey Danny," they both said hesitantly.

Raising an eyebrow he looked at both of them before he answered. "Hi, guys. What's wrong?" Whatever it was, he wanted it over with and out of the way.

Sam sighed then motioned for him to sit. He shook his head, feeling better standing. She took a deep breath, "there are a few things we need to talk about Danny." She then noticed the bandage on his forehead. "What happened?"

Unconsciously touching the gauze and trying to look up, he replied. "Oh it's nothing. I'll explain later. What you have to say is more important."

"Okay." The goth girl twisted her hands and looked to Tucker for help. He placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a look and nodded. Danny's stomach was twisting itself into knots at this point. "I guess the first thing is Tucker and I are dating…" she trailed off waiting for his reaction.

Danny felt a little relief; if all of the things they wanted to talk about were like this then it was okay. "Congrats. Took you long enough." He smiled at their confused faces.

Tucker spoke up, "Dude, don't you like Sam?"

Shaking his head he gave a quick explanation. "I did, freshmen year. That's all it lasted though. Besides it was just a little crush. This doesn't look like a little crush." They blushed and averted their eyes. Smiling at his friends, he sat down on one of the chairs scattered around the room. "Wasn't there something else you wanted to talk about?"

"Yeah, it's about Vlad-"

His eyes narrowed at the way she said his name. "What about Vlad?" Danny bit, cutting her off.

"Danny, we don't trust him and you shouldn't either. He's been nothing but trouble since the day you two met!" Sam stated angrily.

"Before I went there for the summer, it had been at least a year since we fought! Besides, he showed me that he's changed so I don't see why you can't trust him."

"How can you just forget about all of the things he has done to you and your family?" Tucker added.

"I haven't forgotten, but he really has changed. The past is the past, why can't you just get over it and move on! He was _my_ archenemy so if I can learn to trust and forgive him, why can't you guys?" Sam glared at him then and he just glared back.

"Have _you_ forgotten that we have fought alongside you so he is our enemy as well?" She reminded him. "Danny what has gotten into you? Has he brainwashed you or something?"

Eyes flashing angry neon green, Danny abruptly stood up knocking the chair over. "Vlad hasn't done anything to me! You might have fought alongside me, but it wasn't _you_ he was pounding into the ground or _your_ family he was constantly after! So why can't you guys get over it?"

"Because we're your friends! Or did you forget that?" Sam seethed accusingly.

"Of course I haven't! I just don't see why if it's so hard for you to forgive him!"

Tucker jumped in and spoke calmly, trying to keep the peace. "We know you, and this isn't like you dude. You hated Vlad more than anybody else and now you trust him? It just doesn't make sense unless he has done something."

"HE HASN'T DONE ANYTHING!" Danny was furious and it took all of his control to not blast something. "Why can't you understand that he has changed?! And how do you know that I truly hated him? All those times I said I wanted to stop fighting him and you _still_ thought I hated him? No, I didn't trust him until this summer, but I didn't hate him!" Something was itching in the back of his mind, trying to come out. But now wasn't the time, so he shoved it away. He took a deep breath trying to calm his throbbing head and breathing. Keeping his voice even, "Vlad understands me in a way nobody else can and I understand him. And it's not something I'm going to throw away because you guys don't trust him." The young halfa stared at both of his friends waiting for one to say something.

"If you explain it then maybe we would understand Danny," Tucker practically begged. Danny could see he wanted the fight to end, but they weren't just going to stop and get back to it later. They were going to settle this now.

"I have tried but it doesn't make a difference. You don't know what I'm going through and you could never understand. Vlad does! He has been through this before and he is the only other halfa, so why should I hate him for no reason now that he has changed?"

Sam glared at him before she spoke in a biting tone. "It's either us or him Danny. Choose!"

His eyes widened at her threat. "I can't believe you're making me choose." Narrowing his eyes, he let the white rings slip over his body, bringing forth his ghost half. "See you later," he said coldly as he flew off into the sky.

Flying high above Amity Park, he let the realization wash over him that he just lost his two best friends. Unwanted tears came and flowed down his cheeks. He didn't even try to stop them. His head throbbed a little both from crying and his injury from the accident. After flying around for hours, the sun had set. When the tears finally stopped, he made his way home. Phasing into his room, he started unpacking thoughts once again roaming to Vlad. The itch from before was still there a little, but not as strong. He tried to figure out what it was, but gave up after a while when nothing came to mind.

Danny got home less than twenty-four hours ago and there were already problems. Sighing he flopped down on his bed. He was already wishing he could just go back to Vlad's. As Danny thought about it, he realized that he and his friends had been growing apart ever since he got his ghost powers. Before, he just refused to believe it. Thinking about it now, he knew it was true and that it was just hard to accept. Hopefully they could be friends again. But who knows how long that will take, if ever?

Rolling over he decided to get some sleep. Then he remembered his pain meds after a slight throb in his forehead. After taking a small dose he changed and climbed back into bed. School was starting the day after tomorrow and he still needed to go get supplies. As Danny drifted off to sleep he hoped the rest of this week would be better than yesterday and today.

Little did Danny know his week was about to get a whole lot worse.

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Ohhhh foreshadowing! I bet you guys are dying to know! Well, I'm being pretty mean to the characters in this story. Especially Danny. Why is he so fun to put in these situations? Anyway, reviews and comments are totally welcome and appreciated! See ya next chapter!


	8. A Bad Week

Hiya everybody! So this chapter is one of the shorter ones...sorry about that. It is kind of intense so that makes up for it? Meh, probably not. It felt like the chapter was over, so I didn't think I should put anymore on the end. I guess it's kind of actiony...yeah not a word. Oh well. At this point I'm too tired to care.

Enjoy!

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Walking into his room, Danny threw the bags filled with school supplies onto his bed. He slumped into his desk chair and pulled out his cellphone. Still nothing from Sam or Tucker. No surprise there really, considering they just had the fight last night. School was going to be awkward, especially when they usually have classes together.

A sigh escaped his lips as he wondered what to do. He could visit Vlad, but the man will probably make fun of him for coming back so soon. Guilt rose as he thought about the fight with Sam and Tucker. He shouldn't have had to decide. Why couldn't they just listen to him and at least _try _to trust Vlad? Or understand they had become friends? Despite how much guilt he felt, he didn't regret choosing Vlad. The bond he felt to the older halfa was undeniable and _strong_. The itch that was always at the back of his mind jumped a little at the thought. Blushing, Danny pushed the thoughts about Vlad away. He needed to stop thinking about him. It was getting to the point of weird and creepy, not to mention confusing.

Hopping up from his chair he made his way downstairs and into the kitchen. Jack was fiddling with something, probably breaking it more than fixing it. Maddie was on her laptop looking over something. "Hey mom, hey dad," he greeted as he grabbed an apple and sat down.

His mom looked up and gave him a warm smile. "Hello sweetie, did you get all of your supplies?" Danny nodded taking a bite. "Good, oh that reminds me. Look at this bracelet we got at the symposium for you!" She held up what looked like an opened handcuff. The two halves of the circles connected by a small hinge. It was some kind of silver metal with some electronics peeking through parts of the metal. It looked like a futuristic bracelet. Something probably ghost related considering where they got it. His mom popped it on his right wrist with a smile. Instantly Danny's ghost core was suppressed. A slight gasp came from his throat at the feeling. This bracelet was powerful and he could barely feel his ghost core. This wasn't good.

Glancing up he saw his mom looking expectantly at him. He muttered, "thanks, mom. Um, does it do anything?" He tried acting nonchalant, hoping to appear unaffected by the jewelry.

"Of course it does sweetie, we did get it at a ghost symposium." She laughed lightly. "It suppresses ghost powers in the area around you. And it's somewhat of a ghost shield. The protective shield and suppresser lies against you almost like a second skin. You won't notice it, but it will help protect you! We just have too many ghosts running around here for me to let my baby go unprotected. We're lucky we snatched that up; it is quite a piece of technology. Not to mention it's quite a fashion statement!" Danny almost wanted to scream in frustration at her.

"That's…cool." Standing up he threw the apple core away and headed out of the kitchen. "Um, I'm going to go to the mall, I'll be back later," he told his parents as he made his way to the front door.

"Alright, have fun sweetie!" Maddie called after him. Rolling his eyes as he closed the front door, he hopped down the steps and started walking in a random direction. He tried to pull off the bracelet; it was tight enough to not move up and down, but loose just enough to spin around his wrist. Looking for the hidden clasp, he pushed, pulled and pinched every part of the cold, hard metal he could touch. It wasn't budging. An irritated groan came from his throat. Maybe his mom had a key or something. That would explain the small holes on one part of the bracelet. How was he supposed to get the key without his ghost powers though? His mom wouldn't just give the key to him. She thinks she is keeping him safe. And what was he supposed to do in the mean time without them?

A thought popped into his head. Maybe Vlad could get it off? Or get the key for him? As he grabbed his cellphone he whipped around when he felt eyes on him. Searching around he didn't see or hear anything. Shrugging he continued walking. It was probably just a ghost. Now that he couldn't use his powers he couldn't sense ghosts either.

Selecting Vlad's name, he hit the call button and waited for the older halfa to pick up. Three rings later Vlad's voice was coming through his phone. "Daniel? What do I owe this pleasure?" A shiver went down his spine as a pink tinge crawled on his face. This always happened when he heard Vlad over the phone. Something was seriously wrong with him.

"I've got a bit of a problem. My mom and dad got me this weird bracelet thing from the symposium. It suppresses ghost powers _and_ is a ghost shield. I can't get it off." Danny explained, hoping Vlad would help him.

"What happens when you use your ghost powers?"

"I can't. I can barely even feel them, let alone use one…" he trailed off.

"Hm, that is interesting. I'm assuming it needs a key correct?"

"I guess. Mom already had it opened when she showed it to me. She just threw it on my wrist before I had a chance to react." He sat down on a bench near a bus stop. "It's supposed to protect me since there are so many ghosts and I can't walk around town 'unprotected.'" Danny finished in a huff.

Vlad chuckled. "That is unfortunate little badger. Perhaps you should leave it on? You don't want to hurt your mother's feelings now do you?"

Danny could see the smirk on the older halfa's face. "Not funny Vlad. I seriously need to get this thing off." He felt as if he was being watched again and glanced around a little as Vlad continued.

"Of course Daniel. I can-" That was all he heard as he was grabbed from behind, dropping his phone in surprise. He tried to scream, but a hand clamped over his mouth. Subconsciously, he tried to pull his ghost powers and nothing happened. Stupid bracelet. Kicking and struggling as hard as he could only earned him a hard punch to his stomach. A gasp came from his lips into the gloved hand as he struggled to pull in air through his nose. Pain split through his head as something hard hit him. Lights danced in front of his eyes as darkness quickly took over with one word drifting through his mind. _Vlad_.

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Vlad POV

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Vlad looked at his phone in confusion, wondering if the call had dropped. "Daniel? Are you there?" He asked putting the phone back up to his ear. That was when he heard the sickening thud of metal hitting bone. "Daniel?! Daniel, what's wrong?" The phone beeped in his ear signaling the end of the call. Icy dread coursed through his veins as he tried calling back. It went straight to voicemail. Panic overtook him as he let the black rings slip over his body, calling forth his ghost half, flying as fast as he could to Amity Park through his ghost portal. Luckily it was Sunday, so he was off work and not further away from his portal when he got the call.

After reaching the Fenton portal in record time, he flew out and above the house. Invisible, he hovered above Fenton Works searching to feel the presence of the young hybrid. Nothing; he should have known. He doubted he would have been able to feel him even if he was nearby because of that blasted bracelet. Vlad had no clue where Danny was when they were talking. The younger halfa would have tried to get the bracelet off as soon as his parents were out of sight. So he couldn't have gotten too far away from his house without his powers.

Creating a few clones, they all flew off in a different direction. After flying in one direction for a few minutes he changed paths to search a different area, hope seeming to slip away as he did so. A clone alerted him to something he found. Hope rose a degree as he flew off to the location of the clone. He reabsorbed the others and landed next to the one who signaled him. There on a bench was Danny's phone. Smashed beyond repair. Along with a few drops of his green speckled blood on the ground.

His heart clenched and dread took hold of every nerve. So many emotions crashed in waves through his body and mind. One took hold; the absolute _need _to find Danny. And soon. Who knew how bad the young halfa was injured? With that bracelet on he was just like everybody else; powerless. A million questions and fears were swimming through his head as he flew off towards the ghost portal, vowing to get Danny back at any cost.

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Oh snap! What a turn of events! So, whatcha' guys think? Any predictions on what happened to Danny and why? If anybody gets it (which, no offense, I doubt they will) I will dedicate the next chapter to you! Good luck and see ya next chapter!


	9. Pain and Fear

Hey there guys! Oh and gals! So this chapter is kind of sorta really intense haha. Oh, a few things. I am raising the rating from T to M. Why? I'm pretty sure this chapter is still T, but you can never be too sure. Also, for what I have planned out, it will more than likely get changed anyway. Also, the genre is changing. It was originally romance/hurt/comfort, well based on what is happening in the story I believe romance/tragedy is better suited.

Thank you all for your wonderful reviews/follows/favorites! I love them all to death and they light up my day when I see them! I am a sucky and lazy person so I don't thank each and every one of you like I should. I know I know, shame on me and I should probably be slapped for it. Oh well.

Oh and nobody guessed who and/or why Danny was kidnapped. There really was no way to guess the who, but the why was very much guessable. Whoa that's actually a word...huh...anyway, this chapter is dedicated to ALL of you! Meaning everybody who reads this! I know, you feel special now! :P

Enjoy!

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A sharp pain flashed through Danny's head as consciousness slowly came over him. He tried to shift and realized his hands were tied behind him. That was when he fully awoke, adrenaline pumping through him as the memories before he was knocked unconscious sprang forth. He went to open his eyes and realized there was a cloth covering them. With his ghost core barely noticeable, he knew the bracelet was still on him. Fidgeting he realized he was on his side on the ground.

Staying still he listened to the sounds around him. There were faint birdcalls from outside but other than that, nothing besides his breathing, beating heart and pounding head. His stomach hurt a little too, from the punch, but not nearly as bad as his head. It was quite possible he had a concussion. Danny would actually be surprised if he didn't; his head hurt too much and he had some trouble concentrating.

Rolling over onto his back his arm brushed a wall. Pushing himself into a sitting position he leaned back against the, was it wood? As he sat there he let his other senses go to work in trying to figure out where he was. There wasn't any light peeking through the cloth, but he didn't know how thick it was either. A few smells rubbed against his nose. Pine was the first scent he recognized. Cigarettes were the second.

It seemed he was alone in the room. Hoping that was true, he tried to wiggle his hands from the ropes. They burned and scratched his skin as he twisted and turned his slim wrists, trying to slip even one loop off. When his wrists felt they were almost rubbed raw, he stopped. He gave a small sigh as now his wrists, stomach and head hurt. Grimacing as an especially painful throb shot through his head, he let his thoughts wander.

Who would kidnap him? He didn't think it was a ghost. If it was they could have just flown him off without having to knock him out. Most of the ghosts he knew didn't know Danny Phantom was Danny Fenton either. So that possibility was slim. So humans probably kidnapped him. Why? They wouldn't really get anything from his parents, except for ghost weapons. Those don't really work on humans though. A thought crossed his mind. But if they knew about him being close with Vlad…Danny shuddered as fear coursed through him. What if they did something to Vlad? He could never live with that and hoped it had nothing to do with the older halfa. An awful feeling he had said differently.

If it was about Vlad, would the man be willing to help Danny? Yeah, they were no longer enemies and were now friends, but just how far would Vlad go to help him? That thing in the back of his mind that had been itching to come out sprang forth. Just how much did Vlad care for him? His heart beat slightly faster at the thought that the older hybrid might care for Danny a lot more than what Vlad let on or what he Danny realized. That was when he realized he cared a lot more for Vlad then what he thought or wanted to admit. His head throbbed as different memories of being with Vlad over the summer washed over him. Heartbeat sped up and butterflies erupted in his stomach. The feeling broke through him as he realized what all of his emotions and thoughts over the summer meant. Danny was in love with Vlad. He loved him. It all made painful sense now. Now he knew what his friends meant by saying he was clueless. Not to mention bad timing. Of all ways to realize his feelings for the older hybrid.

A door being opened in the room and footsteps following short after assaulted his ears and throbbing head. The sounds were sending spikes of pain through his skull. Grimacing he scooted closer to the wall, icy spiders of fear crawling over his skin and up his spine. A low menacing chuckle came from above him. "Well, it looks like you are awake." A husky male voice stated; Danny didn't recognize it. "I guess we hit you a little too hard. You were unconscious for quite a while." There was a rustling sound and the man grabbed him by the hair, hard. "Now, you are going to be a good boy and say what I tell you to." The unspoken threat sent more fear coursing through his veins. Beeping sounds followed the command, probably from a cell phone.

The phone was held up to his ear while it rang. Pain flashed through his head at the rough touch and sound. After two rings a familiar voice came through the phone. "Vlad Masters speaking." Danny's breath hitched and a lump formed in his throat. He wanted to say something, but he didn't want to put Vlad in any danger. So he kept quiet and tried to keep his harsh breathing silent. "Hello? Who is this?" The hand in his hair gripped tighter, a motion indicating he should talk. Danny shook his head no slightly before the phone was moved away as a hard fist crashed in the side of his face. Falling over, dizziness and pain overtook him. A metallic tang filled his mouth from a cut on his cheek as his ears rang and pain split his head in two. Breaths coming out in gasps as he struggled to stay awake. His kidnapper began talking and Danny focused as hard as he could on what he was saying.

A sigh came from the man as he spoke into the phone. "I'm terribly sorry for that Mr. Masters, but it appears your little friend here doesn't wish to speak with you. But you don't have to worry about it I have punished him for being so rude to you." The man was silent as he listened to Vlad speak. Danny spat out some blood from the cut on the inside of his cheek. "Always straight to the point are we? Well, seeing as how we are both short on time I suppose it makes sense." He became silent again. When he spoke again the man sounded amused. "Well, you are obviously short on time because if you don't give me what I want within, say, twelve hours, this kid here will be punished instead of you. We don't want that now do we?" Danny tried to swallow past the lump in his throat. Without his ghost powers he was helpless. Fear gripped him as he realized that he was not likely to get out of this alive, unless he could get that bracelet off. "Quite eager for the kid back are we? I want one hundred million dollars, in cash and unmarked bills, delivered to a location that will be sent to your phone in a few hours. You know the drill and I shouldn't have to say it, but don't call the cops or come get the kid without all of the money and such. Once we have confirmed the money is all there and we are a safe distance away, the boy's location will be sent to your phone as well. You can pick him up yourself." As Vlad responded Danny's mind kept going back to what the man had said. _Quite eager for the kid back are we? _Vlad wanted him back and safe? Was the older hybrid going to save him? "Of course it wouldn't be a fair trade unless you knew your prize was alive." Danny felt the air move as the man stepped closer. A beep sounded and Vlad's voice came from the phone loud enough for Danny to hear.

"Daniel? Daniel are you there?" The man nudged him with his foot.

"V-Vlad?" he stuttered, trying to get past the lump and keep the tears at bay. Between the pain and the emotions the salty water was threatening to spill onto his face.

"Yes, little badger, it's me." Vlad sounded relieved.

When was he going to get another chance, if ever, to tell Vlad his feelings? Once the man got his money he was probably going to kill him. Taking a deep breath Danny quickly spilled the confession from his trembling lips. "I love you fruitloop." Tears spilled unhindered from his eyes, soaking the cloth and leaving streaks on his face.

A slight pause before, "I love you too, Daniel." Just then another beep sounded and he was kicked in the ribs. The wind was knocked out of him and he tried to pull air into his struggling lungs. His head spun from the lack of oxygen and the concussion. Thundering pain coursed through his head once again replacing the previous dull throb.

"How touching," the man spat out. "You know the kid is alive so I expect the money at the location within one hour of you receiving the directions. Every minute you are late, the kid will be punished. I will do it personally while one of my men waits for you. So tick tock." Danny heard him hang up the phone and felt the hand in his hair once again. "I'm glad you decided to have that one little touching moment with him before you die." The young halfa froze, his suspicions confirmed. "Oh don't worry, I won't kill you yet. Once they are sure the money is there I know Masters will demand to hear you before he hands it over. Once the money is in my possession you will die. Let's just say I don't need a witness to stop me."

If he was going to die anyway why not ask the question burning in his mind. "Why are you doing this?"

An evil chuckle came from the kidnappers lips. "For the money of course. That and a little revenge I suppose." Fear fluttered down his spine at the venom in the man's words. "He fired my father when Masters found out he was laundering money into his own pocket. It broke my family apart, my father killed himself after going through the humiliation Masters put him through. This caused me to turn to a life of crime with the intent at revenge all along. I have suffered because of him and he will suffer and lose someone close to him as I have.

"It took quite a while before we found somebody he actually _cared _about. Then we saw a picture of him with you in the city. I knew we had him then. All it took was waiting for you to go back home so we could snatch you." The man threw Danny to the ground. The pain from the contact with the ground almost sent him unconscious. "The plan has been going rather well. The tricky part is getting the money and getting away though. If need be we can just put off killing you and take you along as hostage." His phone rang then and he answered it while kicking Danny in his stomach again. The footsteps grew distant as the door to the room opened and then closed, leaving Danny once again alone.

Pulling air into his lungs with short gasps, Danny lied there as the tears continued down his face. The pain in his head was unbearable. He forced himself to stay awake though and concentrated on steadying his breathing. After at least fifteen minutes Danny rolled onto his back. Taking a deep breath, he quickly pushed his hips off the ground and slid his tied hands under him and then quickly over his legs, pulling them in front of him. Pain shot through his abdomen at the effort and he laid still as the pain subsided into a dull ache.

Pulling the cloth from around his eyes Danny quickly looked around the room. He had been right about the wood. It looked as if he was in a log cabin. There was only one door, the one the man had come in and out of. A lone window was to his left; the moon hiding behind dark clouds as the night carried on. Just how long was he unconscious?

Shakily, he fully sat up, wincing at the pain covering his body. It was hard to think with the headache continually pounding. Now that he could see it was easier to work the ropes. After an achingly long time, he finally managed to get them loose enough, by using his teeth mostly, to slip off. Staring at the bracelet, he couldn't come up with a way to get it off.

An idea struck him as he noticed the floor was concrete even though the walls were wood. Biting his lip, he had to find something to muffle the sound. There wasn't anything in the room besides him and the ropes discarded on the floor. Tenderly taking off his shirt, he wrapped just enough around his wrist to keep the sound in the room.

Danny began pounding his wrist with the bracelet into the floor with all his might. It took quite a few tries before the metal began to give. After about ten more hard hits he felt most of his ghost core flare icily back to life and he stopped. He could finish taking it off later, so long as he had his ghost powers now it didn't matter. Taking a deep breath he tried to turn his right hand invisible, almost immediately it complied as it faded out of existence. There was no pain or shock from the bracelet. Either he damaged it enough or it never would have done that in the first place. He didn't care.

Slipping his shirt back over his head, he changed to his ghost half. Turning invisible he heard footsteps once again behind the door. As the door opened to reveal a tall, rough looking man with a long scar on his face, Danny went intangible as well and flew through the roof. He soared as far away as possible, not caring which direction he flew in. The need to get away over powered his need to find out where he was.

A forest was below as he flew. The pain and his injuries taking its toll caused him to lose speed. Looking around he had no idea of where to go. He couldn't stay in the forest they might find him. Using the last of his energy, he thought of Vlad's mansion and teleported. Danny knew he wouldn't make it that far, but it would hopefully get him far enough away from his kidnappers.

As the green mist swirled around him and then dissipated as quickly as it came, he looked around. It looked like Amity Park…could it possibly be? His vision was blurry and he had trouble focusing to be sure. White rings appeared at his waist and slipped around him, taking back his ghost half. Bending over his knees he gasped for breath and tried to ease his pounding head. He couldn't pass out in the middle of the street.

Just then a blast nearly hit him, barely managing to dodge, he looked up to see where it came from. There were his parents, weapons at the ready and aimed for Danny. He quickly held up his hands, "Mom! Dad! It's me! Danny!" Another blast shot from his dad landed at his feet causing him to stumble back.

"We see what you are! No son of mine is a ghost!" Jack yelled, gun already charging back up.

"Don't call me Mom! Only my children can call me that and my baby boy is not a ghost!" Maddie aimed at Danny and let loose her shot. He tried to dodge, but was a little too slow. Pain radiated from his shoulder as he was thrown to the ground. Before anything else happened he quickly transformed and went intangible, floating below the ground. Flying towards Fenton Works, the tears once again streamed down his face. He was fighting staying conscious and in ghost form. Pure adrenaline was keeping him going.

As he flew through the portal and into the ghost zone, he felt his mind slipping and darkness trying to take over. He made it to a floating piece of land, before he hastily landed and collapsed. The white rings once again appearing as his heart shattered and the darkness over took his mind.

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I'm such an evil and cruel person. Danny can never catch a break. He has been going through something for the past three-ish chapters. Meh, at this point I no longer care as it is my story :P. So, what did you guys think? Besides the fact I am leaving these chapters in more and more cliff hangers...anywho, Reviews and comments are appreciated! See ya next chapter! (Oh boy, are you guys going to hate me for the next chapter I put up...)


	10. Overwhelming Emotions

Hey there everybody! I know it's been longer than normal since my last update. Last week was BUSY and no room to write AT ALL. This would have been updated last nightish if it didn't end up being so long, so that's good for you? I'm not joking when I say this twice the length of my normal chapters. Yay for lots to read. Well, this chapter is...well...very emotional. I haven't read through it, so I'm sorry if there are any major/minor mistakes. I'm tired and going to bed soon because I have to be up early for work. Oh and the reason why I said you guys would hate me? I changed my mind, so what I had planned isn't going to happen, be thankful because it was mean haha.

Enjoy!

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It had been a few hours since his call with Danny and Vlad was no closer to finding him. With a heavy sigh he sat down in a chair to await any news. He had sent out his best ghost hunters, even Skulker, but without the teen's ectosignature showing up there was little to no hope. Who could have taken Danny? From the evidence he had gathered it wasn't a ghost. So a human did this, but why? Vlad's heart sank when a realization hit him like a ton of bricks. It was because of him. It had to be, why else would somebody kidnap the teen? Either somebody wanted money or revenge. Perhaps both, and they planned to get this by going through the one person Vlad truly cared about.

The older hybrid was furious. How dare they use Danny to get to him? Then dread coursed through him. If Danny and him hadn't become so close then this never would have happened. Vlad's thoughts drifted back to the phone call. No. This would have never happened if Maddie and Jack weren't such fools. Rage bubbled up within Vlad, but then thinking of Danny hurt and probably scared squashed it back down. All of the emotions dancing through him was wearing Vlad out. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he took a deep calming breath. Thinking like this was getting him nowhere and wouldn't help Danny. He could let his emotions wreak havoc on him later. The main and foremost concern was to find Danny alive. Well, half alive.

Maybe he should alert Danny's parents. But how would he explain? Glancing at his watch, Vlad noted it was only afternoon. His parents wouldn't even begin to become concerned unless Danny was late for curfew. That wasn't until eleven tonight. He might be able to save Maddie and Jack some worry if Vlad can locate Danny before then. But what if he couldn't? What if-_no._ He _had_ to stop these types of thoughts.

Letting his head fall into his hands he took a shaky breath. When was the last time he felt this powerless? Vlad couldn't recall nor did he want to. Overwhelming emotions threatened to wash over and pull him under. He refused to let them take over and turn him into a mess. There was a chance for that when Danny was safe. A small, empty chuckle left his lips as Vlad's thoughts wandered to memories of the summer. The teen so thoroughly worked his way into the hybrid's heart, there was no way Vlad could live without him. The love he held for Danny far exceeded anything he felt for Maddie and continued to grow. It was so much at times, Vlad wondered if he would burst from it.

When his fiery ghost sense left his lips, Vlad's head snapped up. He knew it wasn't Danny, him nor his sensors could pick up his signature, but it was probably Skulker, bringing him updates. The hunter phased through the wall and appeared in front of Vlad, his face uncharacteristically solemn. Vlad stood up and addressed the ghost. "Anything?" A small beat of hope coming through his voice.

Skulker shook his head. "No ghost has seen the boy since yesterday."

The hope was squashed in an instant. It would have been easier finding Danny if a ghost had taken him. With a heavy sigh, Vlad gave the hunter new orders. "Start searching from the point he disappeared. If you find any clues or leads make sure to contact me." Skulker nodded once before promptly flying off to follow the orders he was given. Vlad then made his way down to his lab. If the kidnapper wanted money they would be calling with a ransom. He needed to set up his phone so he could trace the call. After that was done, there was nothing else to do, but wait.

Waiting turned out to be excruciatingly painful. As the hours slowly ticked by, Vlad's worry increased to new heights while his hope slowly dwindled down to nothing. Skulker popped in few times to give updates, but they held no new info. It was around midnight when ringing pierced the cold silence. His heart leapt to his throat.

Vlad let it ring twice to make sure the tracer was on before he answered in the most normal voice he could muster. "Vlad Masters speaking." A sharp intake of breath came through the other side. His heart pounded in his chest. Was that Danny? Vlad could hear faint breathing through the phone. "Hello? Who is this?" Even if the person on the other line didn't respond he had to keep the call going for as long as possible. The longer it was connected the closer he got to the location. About a minute after he asked, there was a smack and a rough arrogant voice came through the line.

"I'm terribly sorry for that Mr. Masters, but it appears your little friend here doesn't wish to speak with you." So that was Danny, he is alive. "But you don't have to worry about it, I have punished him for being so rude to you." Punished? Vlad about snapped at that.

"I know you have Daniel. What is it that you want for his return?" Vlad tried his hardest to keep calm.

"Always straight to the point are we? Well, seeing as how we are both short on time I suppose it makes sense."

"What do you mean 'we'? How am I short on time?" Vlad asked with suspicion.

"Well, you are obviously short on time because if you don't give me what I want within, say, twelve hours, this kid here will be punished instead of you. We don't want that now do we?"

"Anything you want, name it. I will have it to you in no time." Vlad hated that he was giving in without a fight. But he would do anything to get Danny back.

"Quite eager for the kid back are we? I want one hundred million dollars, in cash and unmarked bills, delivered to a location that will be sent to your phone in a few hours." So it was about money. "You know the drill and I shouldn't have to say it, but don't call the cops or come get the kid without all of the money and such. Once we have confirmed the money is all there and we are a safe distance away, the boy's location will be sent to your phone as well. You can pick him up yourself."

Vlad swallowed. He knew that if he didn't reach Danny before the meet up, he would never see the boy alive again. The tracer was working slowly; the phone had some kind of bug in it to keep him from pinpointing the location. About a minute was left. He needed to keep the man on the line.

"I want to speak with Daniel. I will not be gathering your money unless I know he is safe."

"Of course it wouldn't be a fair trade unless you knew your prize was alive," the man arrogantly said. Vlad knew right then, Danny's kidnapper planned on killing the teen as soon as the money was in his hands.

There was a beep and Vlad assumed he was put on speakerphone. "Daniel? Daniel are you there?" Keeping his voice calm and soothing for the young hybrid was hard when he had enough trouble keeping himself collected.

"V-Vlad?" Danny stuttered. Tears almost rolled down his cheeks right then. Danny was alive, though he sounded to be in immense pain and frightened. This man was going to pay for what he has done to Danny.

His relief was evident as he replied. "Yes, little badger, it's me." There was a pause and then a deep intake of breath. What Danny said next will forever stay with Vlad.

"I love you fruitloop."

Vlad paused for but a split second. "I love you too, Daniel." A beep almost immediately sounded after the words left his lips. Something that sounded like a kick or punch reached his ears following an immediate gasp. Vlad's blood boiled. As soon as he got his hands on this man, pain of all kinds was going to follow. Glancing at the tracer he had only 20 seconds left until it was complete.

"How touching," the man spat out. "You know the kid is alive so I expect the money at the location within one hour of you receiving the directions. Every minute you are late, the kid will be punished. I will do it personally while one of my men waits for you. So tick tock." The resounding click echoed through Vlad as the tracer countdown read three seconds left. It blinked showing it was incomplete.

Rage, fear, dread and worry coursed through him in hot, gut clenching waves. Black rings flew over him, giving his ghost form appearance. His heart beat wildly in his chest. Pink ecto energy swirled over his hands. Turning to his least important equipment in the room, he let loose the blasts, sending metal everywhere. The tracer managed to narrow the area down. A wide circle, of about 100 miles across, was covering the screen. It was about one to two hours south of Amity Park. Setting up his computers to track the phone if the man made another outgoing call, Vlad quickly sent the all of the information to Skulker along with the order to gather all of his ghostly employees to search that area as fast as they can.

He then flew to his personal vault and began quickly counting the money. Putting all of the money together there wasn't nearly enough. Most of his money stayed in the bank. It looked like he would have to fly, perhaps to a couple of banks where he had safe deposit boxes, and grab the money he kept there. As he was putting the money into briefcases and bags his phone rang.

Without looking to see who it was he answered. "Vlad Masters speaking."

"The ghost child's signature just popped up. The signal is too weak to pinpoint, but he is moving extremely fast as well. It's in the same area as the phone call." Skulker delivered news that caused hope to burn hot within his chest.

"Follow it, do all you can to find him." Vlad abruptly hung up. If Skulker had something else important to say, or if he found Danny he would call back. The hybrid flew towards his portal and into the ghost zone.

If Danny's signature was within the same area as the call, then he could find the teen before his kidnappers ever send Vlad the info. Skulker said Danny was moving fast, so he was probably in his ghost form. There was little chance they would move him at this point. How did he do it? Did he somehow manage to get the bracelet off? Did his kidnappers take it off?

A million questions swirled in his head as he flew through the ghost zone towards the Fenton portal. All of a sudden Vlad felt Danny's signature as the fiery wisp of breath escaped his lips. A few seconds later, a terrified and badly injured teen hero flew through the open portal. Vlad gasped and raced towards him. Danny almost crashed into a floating piece of land. As he was landing, the white rings appeared around the teen's waist and reclaimed his ghost form. Danny promptly collapsed unconscious.

Vlad landed next to Danny and looked him over. His shoulder was burnt; the shirt was charred and missing in that spot. The pale face had a few nasty bruises and cuts. Tear streaks stained his cheeks. Vlad noticed the bracelet was still on the slim wrist, bashed up and broken. Grabbing the bracelet he snapped it off and threw it away. He continued his look over the young halfa. What worried Vlad the most, besides the teen's shoulder, was the amount of dried blood covering the back of Danny's neck and shirt from a wound on his head.

Gingerly, Vlad picked up the young halfa and headed towards the Fenton portal, then stopped. Why had Danny flown through the portal before collapsing? Confusion swept through Vlad. Something must have happened for Danny to fly into the portal instead of just getting his parents attention. He didn't have time to think about this. Danny was in pain and needed to go to the hospital. However, a very strong feeling told him to go back to Wisconsin for a hospital.

Instead of taking chances he followed the feeling and flew back the way he came. Flying through his portal, he headed towards the city and the nearest hospital. Adrenaline continued to pump through him. Fear clenched his chest as he felt the slow heartbeat and shallow breathing of the young hybrid in his arms. As the white covered building came into view, Vlad quickly landed in a nearby alleyway and transformed back. Running with all his might, he raced through the emergency room doors.

"Help, somebody please help!" Vlad yelled, gaining the attention of everybody in the room. Seeing the unconscious bloody teen in the billionaire's arms, the nurses all rushed to him. One called a doctor while the others led Vlad to a stretcher to place Danny on. Once the young hybrid was out of his arms, he was pushed away as two nurses and a rushing doctor tended to him. A nurse led him to a different waiting room, getting his name and telling him somebody would see him shortly. After asking for Danny's name the nurse left Vlad alone in the room.

His mind whirled as he sat alone in the silent room. Why did Danny fly into the ghost zone? What would have caused the teen to go there instead of landing in front of his parents' house or anywhere else for that matter? This worried Vlad. Just then his phone rang again. It was Skulker. "What is it?"

"We found the men who were holding the ghost child. The one who you traced the call from contacted another person not long after the ectosignature showed up. We are outside their hideout awaiting your orders." As Skulker explained, Vlad felt the rage bubble up. He wanted to deal with the kidnapper as soon as possible, but Danny came first.

"Follow them. Keep them in your sights. Send me updates. I found Daniel in the ghost zone and have taken him to a hospital so you no longer need to search for him. Is there anything else to report?"

"Yes, I was flying towards the location of the ectosignature when I happened upon something interesting. The ghost child had teleported near his home and transformed back into his human half. His parents saw this and then proceeded to attack him. A minute or two later he transformed and disappeared. It appears you found him not long after that."

Shock coursed through Vlad. Maddie and Jack saw Danny transform and already injured, but continued to attack him. That was why he was in the ghost zone. He felt safer _there_than in Amity Park. Danny's parents didn't accept him. Vlad wanted to go and hug Danny right then, tell him everything was going to be okay. He wanted to kiss the midnight tresses and pour his love into the teen. The hybrid also wanted to rip his so-called college buddies apart along with the kidnapper. Make them suffer as Danny has and will for years to come.

"Leave them be. I will deal with them later," Vlad growled out before he ended the call. Pinching the bridge of his nose and taking deep breaths, he pushed the emotions away. Danny came first; the rest could be dealt with later. A doctor rushed in a few minutes later.

"Mister Masters?" She asked. Vlad stood and nodded as she approached. "I'm Dr. Crane, I am the one presiding over Danny." She gave her hand to shake and he did so as well.

"How is Daniel doing?" Nervousness was clear in his voice as he let go of her hand.

She gave him a comforting look. "He is stable, but we need to run some tests. Is he allergic to anything? And how old is he?"

Vlad looked slightly confused. "No, he isn't. Seventeen, why?"

"Since he is a minor we need permission to perform the tests and his insurance information. We also need to contact his parents." Vlad wanted to smack himself for being so scatterbrained. This happened a few days ago, with the car accident.

"I will contact his parents, they are my friends." He practically bit out the word, but the doctor didn't seem to notice. "I will sign the paperwork and you can bill me for the expenses, as I don't have his insurance information on me. Perform any and all tests that you deem fit. When can I see him?"

"Okay, a nurse will come by with the paperwork in a few minutes. You can see him after the procedures and tests, as he might need surgery. I will keep you updated." With that, Dr. Crane walked away back the way she came. Vlad sat down and took another deep breath. Tonight was going to be a long night.

A nurse came in with the paperwork fifteen minutes later. It was annoying, but it kept Vlad busy and somewhat distracted. Once she left, Vlad was once again left alone. Glancing at his watch he noticed it was around one in the morning. A small yawn worked its way past his mouth and he covered it with his hand. Now that the adrenaline left his system, he was exhausted. This whole ordeal lasted around twelve hours and he felt like he could sleep a week. Vlad refused to imagine what would have happened had Danny not broken the bracelet enough to escape.

After an hour or so Dr. Crane came back in the room. Vlad abruptly stood and walked over to her. "How is he doing? Is he going to be okay?" Danny had to be okay, at least physically.

She gave him a warm smile. "He should be perfectly fine." At Vlad's concerned look she quickly explained. "He has sustained quite a concussion and we need to keep him here for a couple of days to keep an eye on that. He also has a broken rib, but that should heal nicely so long as he takes it easy and doesn't move around a lot while he is recovering. We also need to watch the bruise on his stomach, as it was severe enough I wouldn't be surprised if he starts to bleed internally. However, he hasn't yet, so the longer it is the less likely it will occur.

"So he is under observation for his concussion and to prevent internal bleeding. I'm more worried about the concussion though. Until he wakes up, we can't be sure of the extent of the damage. There was little swelling of his brain, but not as much as one would normally see with this type of head trauma. May I ask what happened?"

Vlad had thought about that while he was waiting. "Of course. Daniel was talking to me while on the phone. During the conversation I heard some noise and then the line went dead. When I went to search for him, I found him unconscious in an alleyway near where he said he was for the evening. It appears he was mugged and I rushed him here as fast as possible." Well, most of it was true, just a few of the details were different.

Dr. Crane gave him a look of sympathy. "I see; he sure is lucky. Well would you like us to call the police for you?"

Vlad shook his head. "No it's quite alright. I have already contacted my private investigator and he is working on it. I don't want to put Daniel through anymore than necessary. With me being well known a public police investigation will just cause more problems."

A smile of understanding moved onto her face. "Okay, well, if you like you can see him now. He hasn't woken up yet though." Vlad eagerly followed her towards the room Danny was in. It seemed to take years just to walk down a couple of halls. Upon reaching the room, Dr. Crane opened the door and stepped aside to let him in, but stopped him with a small hand on his shoulder before he crossed the doorway. "You may stay as long as you like. Feel free to talk to him and touch him. Just be cautious of his injuries and IV. With this kind of head injury, comas are not uncommon. To help prevent that, we encourage friends and family to talk them. As of right now, he is fine and not in a comatose state. If you need anything feel free to get one of the nurses or push that red button on the side of his gurney." With a small smile she walked away leaving Vlad alone with the teen. He closed the door and then turned towards Danny.

He couldn't help the small gasp that escaped his lips, as he stared down at his little badger. All kinds of wires were hooked up to him. An oxygen tube was resting against his upper lip beneath his nose and the nurses had cleaned him up. The young hybrid was asleep or unconscious; he wasn't sure which. Vlad walked up towards him and lightly grabbed his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Tears threatened to spill over as he stared down at the pale bruised face. Pulling up a chair, Vlad made himself comfortable next to Danny's side.

The teen was sure to recover quickly, his ghost half would help with that. But that was physically. Mentally? The teen had a long way to go. Vlad promised himself and Danny right then that he would never leave the young half ghost. He would always be there, arms open, with love and affection.

Vlad drew lazy circles with his thumb on Danny's hand. Using his free hand, he reached up and softly ran his fingers through the dark locks. "Oh Daniel…" Vlad whispered, unsure of what else to say. He hoped the teen was just sleeping and not… Danny stirred then, slowly waking up. Vlad gently squeezed the slim hand in his, slowly coaxing him to wake up. A moment later, the teen's eyes fluttered open. They scanned the room in fear before falling onto Vlad and relief replaced the fear.

Danny took a deep breath and then winced slightly. "Vlad…" He looked at the older hybrid with questioning eyes. It seemed the broken rib made it difficult for the teen to talk.

Vlad hurried to answer the unspoken question. "I was on my way to find you, when your ectosignature popped up. Once I was close to the Fenton portal I saw you come through it and then collapse onto a floating rock. I picked you up and brought you to the hospital. You will have to stay here for a few days before you can go home." At that Danny's eyes widened and the fear returned along with hurt. His breathing picked up as he tried to voice his concerns. Vlad tried to quickly calm him down. "Shhhh, shhh, little badger it's okay. I know what happened." A confused look crossed Danny's face as Vlad hurried to explain. "After the phone call with you, I hurried to search and make sure you were okay. I needed help though, so I got Skulker and some other ghosts to search for you. When your ectosignature appeared, I told them to find you. Skulker happened to see the scene with your parents and he told me."

Vlad gripped Danny's hand a little tighter and wiped a stray tear that had managed to fall. A small blush rose to the teen's cheeks and he squeezed the hand back. Danny took a slow deep breath, barely wincing this time, before he tried to speak. "Vlad…I can't…stay in Amity Park…my parents are probably looking for…me…" Danny forced the words out in between breaths and holding back the tears. Vlad wanted to hug him, but thought better of it, for now. Instead he cupped Danny's cheek and rubbed soothingly. His heart fluttered when the hybrid leaned into the touch.

"You don't have to worry about that. I brought you to a hospital in Wisconsin. I had a strange feeling, when I found you in the ghost zone, that I shouldn't take you anywhere near Amity Park." Vlad sighed at the turn of events. "Seems I was right." He gave Danny a warm smile and stood up. Leaning down he pressed a kiss to his forehead and turned to go alert the nurses the teen was awake.

A hand gripped his for dear life as Danny muttered a faint "wait!" Vlad turned around confused and saw the teen was terrified. What had happened? Raising an eyebrow he was about to ask when the teen explained. "Please, don't leave…" Danny's breathing had sped up slightly once again. Sitting down Vlad pressed the call button and grabbed Danny's hand with both of his.

"I was just going to alert the nurses you are awake, but unless they kick my out I will stay as long as you like little badger." He gave a warm smile as the faint blush returned to Danny's cheeks. The teen smiled back as the nurse walked in to see what was wrong.

The nurse called in the doctor, who began looking over the machines and Danny. Dr. Crane said he was doing well and should be able to leave in a couple of days. Not wanting to talk about the whole kidnapping thing just yet, the two hybrids began talking about Vlad's businesses and Danny's improvement in his ghost powers. As he was telling the teen about something that happened with his secretary he noticed Danny's eye began to droop.

"Daniel, you can sleep if you wish. You need your rest anyway." Vlad gave him a warm smile as he pulled the blanket up farther.

Danny gave a shy look and averted his eyes for a moment. "Only if you promise to be here when I wake up…" Heart fluttering once again, Vlad leaned over and kissed the tip of Danny's nose. A nice amount of color flooded the teen's cheeks. He chuckled slightly at the cute look.

"Of course, Daniel. I promise to always be here for you." Danny gave him a loving smile before laying his head down to sleep.

A few moments later, when Vlad thought he was sleep, the teen said one last thing before drifting off. "Thanks, Vlad."

Kissing the sleeping half ghost's hand, Vlad gave an unheard reply. "Always, little badger."

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Whoa, intense and cute. I guess haha. So, what did you guys think? Comments and reviews are appreciated! See ya next chapter!


	11. A New Home

Hiya guys! Sweet, sweet relief of writing in first person. I am writing my other chapter fic in first person and I'm not too fond of that point of view. Don't get me wrong, there are quite a few aspects that are an advantage over third person, but I just have trouble with it. So, you are probably wondering why I am writing that way. Well, I wanted to grow as a writer. That and I felt as if the story would be better in that point of view. I also ended up starting it that way so I'm not going to change it now.

So I wanted to update OOT before this one...that didn't happen, if you couldn't tell. The next chapter is giving me trouble. I have no clue as to where it is going and what should happen. I only have like 300 words in it. *Sigh* That is going to be updated next if it kills me. I might just have to trudge through slowly. I guess we will see though. Thank you all for such wonderful and fantastic reviews and whatnot! I love them and appreciate them a ton!

Enjoy!

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Pain was the first thing to enter Danny's mind as he awoke. His head was killing him along with his side and shoulder coupled with many other aches and bruises. Opening his eyes, he saw he was in the hospital. What? Then the memories of the day before came barreling back. A gasp escaped his lips when he tensed and pain radiated from his side. Taking a slow deep breath, he looked around. Dull light swam in the room from the window, dark clouds scattering the sky threatening rain.

Besides him and the machines, the room was empty. Tears threatened to spill. Didn't Vlad promise he would be here? Danny didn't know if he could take Vlad hating him as well, _especially_ Vlad. Pain clenched his chest and the monitor beeped to match his heartbeat. Then the door opened and in walked an exhausted looking Vlad, holding a steaming cup. Midnight blue eyes met his sapphire as worry crept into the older hybrid's eyes.

"Daniel?" Vlad asked, sitting down in the chair next to him. He gently grabbed Danny's hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. "What's wrong?"

He felt somewhat embarrassed then. Vlad had just gone to get something to drink, and by the looks of it coffee. The teen had worried for nothing. Taking a deep breath, Danny just shook his head. "I'm just glad you're here…" He trailed off, unsure of what else to say. All of the emotions from what happened the day before threatened to overcome him. Fighting them back, he refused to break down in the hospital. He could do that when he was alone and at…home? At that thought a single tear slipped down his cheek, but that was all he would let out. His head had continued to throb and Danny knew that crying would just make it worse. That, and he had more important things to do, like worry about where he was going to go.

A warm hand cupped his cheek and wiped away the tear. He looked up to see Vlad looking at him with concern and worry. "What's bothering you, little badger? Do you need me to get you a nurse?"

"No it's not that…" The older hybrid looked at him expectantly. Taking a deep breath, he voiced his concerns. It would be better to get it over with sooner rather than later anyway. "I was just… I don't know where to go or what to do." Vlad chuckled softly and ran his hand through his hair. Danny scowled. What was so funny?

"Daniel, when I said I would always be here for you, I meant it. Even before all of this happened you could have come to me for anything. No matter how trivial or complicated it may be. Unless you don't wish to, you may live with me for as long as you like. I will take care of your expenses as well." Danny was unable to say anything. Vlad was serious? He thought the older hybrid had just been saying that last night to comfort him. Then he goes and offers all of that? A skeptical look appeared on his face. It was hard to believe that Vlad was going to be there for him, let alone do all of this, even if they were friends now. He was only seventeen, not even an adult yet, and would probably just cause problems for the man.

Vlad noticed the look and sighed. "Daniel, do you remember what you told me on the phone yesterday?" The older hybrid was looking at him with a smug, yet extremely happy look.

He raised a questioning eyebrow before answering. "Yeah, I said I…" Danny trailed off embarrassed as red coated his face. The exchange burned brightly in the front of his mind.

Vlad moved on instead of furthering his embarrassment. "And what did I say in response?"

His heart was beating faster and a lump was in his throat. "You…said…" Hands flew up to his face to hide his embarrassment. He could feel the heat on his face and ears.

Another chuckle left the man, as gentle hands gripped his and pulled them away. "I said I love you, Daniel." They stared at each other. The two shades of blue gazing into the other. Danny could see the love and affection Vlad was looking at him with. It made his heart race and breathing pick up.

The older hybrid leaned close, and stopped only an inch away. "I'll only do it if you want to Daniel," Vlad explained. As Danny went to lean forward, the door to his room opened to let a doctor walk in with a clipboard. Reluctance on his face, Vlad pulled away as red dusted Danny's cheeks. Luckily the doctor was too immersed in the teen's charts to notice what had been about to happen.

The doctor looked up and smiled at him. "Well, Danny looks like you were one lucky guy. You are healing quite nicely, and fast too. If all goes well you can go home tomorrow." He couldn't help but smile back, even if the word home still hurt. "Of course you will have to be on pain meds and restricted movement for about two weeks. Now, let's look over you and make sure nothing has popped up since the nurse last checked on you."

The doctor began to ask the teen questions as he poked and prodded him. They also went over his injuries since Vlad hadn't told him last night, or was that this morning? Time had been lost to him since he was kidnapped. He wasn't even sure what day it was.

A sharp pain replaced the ever-present dull throb in his skull as the doctor fingered the bump on his head. His sharp intake of breath let the doctor know to stop. "That is one nasty bump. I'm surprised your skull wasn't fractured or your concussion wasn't worse." The doctor moved away and pulled off the latex gloves, throwing them in the trash. "No electronics of any kind for the next day. No reading either, mostly just rest and eat. You need to give your brain time to heal and to let the swelling go down." He jotted some notes on his clipboard as he moved around the bed, towards the door. "Any questions?"

Both Vlad and Danny shook their heads. The doctor took his leave and they were left alone once again. Sighing, the teen rested his head on the pillows and let his eyes close. A thought struck him. Vlad said he could live with him. Does that mean the older hybrid would become his guardian? Danny wrinkled his nose; he didn't want that. He wanted, well, to be more than that.

A knock came from the door as a nurse walked in with a tray in her hands. Opening his eyes, he saw her smile at them before placing the tray on the table next to the bed. Glancing down, Danny noticed it was food. The nurse quickly left the way she came. He picked up the tray and examined the food. It didn't look very good. A glance at Vlad and he noticed the older halfa had the same look on his face. Except it was intensified into disgust.

Laughing lightly, Danny still winced slightly from the pain. Vlad smiled at him before standing. "I will go and fetch something more," he glanced down at the tray, practically snubbing it, "appetizing for us to eat. Anything in particular?"

Placing the tray back on the table he gave Vlad a thoughtful look. "Not really. Something normal though, I don't feel like trying to eat fancy food right now." He knew Vlad knew what he was talking about. It was something Danny had said often over the summer.

Vlad chuckled and then leaned down, placing a light kiss on his forehead. "Of course, little badger." Danny blushed and gave a shy smile. As Vlad was walking out, he reached up and touched his forehead. The place where the man had kissed was tingly. When the door closed behind the older hybrid, the room seemed to drop in temperature as the emotions that were swimming below the surface seemed to wash over him. Clutching his chest, he fought hard to keep them from overwhelming him.

Taking deep slow breathes, Danny focused on the words that made him so happy. _I love you Daniel_. Maybe with Vlad here, it wouldn't be so hard to get over the hurt. He knew it would take time to learn to live with it. But right now, that was the least of his worries. What about his parents? Would they try to find him? Try to kill him? And Jazz. She had no clue what was going on, at least from his side. Deciding to sleep instead of worry anymore, as it was causing his head to throb painfully, Danny lied back down to rest. The teen just hoped Vlad wouldn't take too long; he felt so alone and lost without him.

The next day Danny was leaving the hospital with strict instructions to stay in bed, and a prescription for painkillers along with burn ointment for his shoulder. In the car ride back, no limo but there was still a driver, he noticed Vlad was having a hard time staying awake. The older halfa had stayed all night with Danny, unknown to the nurses, but the teen hasn't seen the man sleep since he first woke up.

A frown crossed his face. When was the last time Vlad slept? As the car pulled up the drive to the mansion Danny couldn't help but feel happy and sad at the same time. This was his new home. He just wished it were because it was a thought-out decision, not a last resort. The sky was overcast like it was yesterday, raindrops falling few and far apart.

Trying to climb out turned into a bad idea as his broken rib protested painfully. Warm hands and arms pulled him into a strong chest. Glancing up, Danny saw Vlad had helped pull him out. "Uh thanks." He blushed at how close they were, but didn't want to leave the man's arms. It was warm and he felt somewhat happy there.

Vlad smiled down affectionately at him. "Anytime, little badger." The older hybrid moved away but placed a hand on the small of Danny's back as they walked towards the mansion. As they entered a ghost chef approached Vlad. Giving the ghost a meal choice for lunch, he waved him away. Danny went to make his way up the stairs, but paused at the bottom. This was bound to hurt; it still hurt to walk because of his rib even though he could feel it healing faster than normal. As he went to let the white rings slide over, a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"I'm not sure you should do that. You need to rest and right now being in your ghost form isn't going to help," Vlad stated.

Danny gave him a look. "How am I supposed to go upstairs then?" With a smile, Vlad gently picked him up bridal style, which caused a surprised yelp to escape, as he changed into Plasmius and flew towards a bedroom. The man placed Danny down on the bed as he transformed back. He made himself comfortable with his back resting on pillows against the headboard. Giving the room a look, he noted that it wasn't the same one he stayed in all summer.

"Why didn't you just put me in my old room?" He asked confused.

"Because my room is the one next to this. That way, if you need anything, I will be right there," Vlad explained, pointing to the opposite wall. Danny didn't know what to think. It was weird seeing Vlad this worried and concerned. It was nice too though. A small frown crossed his face; how was he ever going to repay him? The older hybrid pulled him out of his thoughts when his hand wrapped around Danny's.

He startled a bit when he noticed how close Vlad was standing over him. "Daniel, I know it's hard. But don't hesitate to ask for help or if you need anything. You have enough to worry about, don't make your stress worse by taking on everything yourself when it isn't necessary." Vlad cupped his cheek and rubbed his thumb soothingly.

Glancing down with a slight blush staining his cheeks, Danny nodded. "Okay. Um, Vlad?" The man raised an eyebrow in question. "Do you have any clothes I can change into?" Danny pointed down at the plain sweats the hospital had given him. The teen wrinkled his nose at them as he explained. "These are itchy and not very comfortable."

With a chuckle, Vlad leaned away. "Of course. They will be big on you though. I'm afraid I don't have any extra clothes for you here so mine will have to do for now." Gently ruffling the block locks he placed a light kiss on the teen's forehead. Vlad then phased right through the wall into his room. He came back a few minutes later with clothes in hand. Danny gave a grateful smile as he took them.

When he tried to take off the sweatshirt though he winced. Not a very good idea. Vlad simply reached over and phased it off for him. A small blush rose as he noticed the older hybrid starring at him. Ignoring the slight embarrassment, Danny grabbed the shirt and slipped it over his arms. While he was buttoning it up Vlad's phone rang, splitting the silence. The man glanced at it and a scowl passed through his features before answering the call and walking out the door. The teen took this opportunity to quickly slip off the sweatpants and slip on the black boxers and pajama bottoms.

Instead of letting his thoughts drift to the most prominent things on his mind, he instead forced himself to think about whom Vlad was talking to. It wasn't a business call; the man always answered those in front of Danny. The same goes for Skulker or any of his ghostly employees. If that wasn't it, then who was it? A thought struck him cold. What if it was his parents? Asking if Vlad if he had seen Danny?

Focusing hard, and using his enhanced hearing, he listened in to the older hybrid's side of the conversation. "I don't know." A pause as the other side spoke. His heart thumping in his chest and a lump in his throat, Danny waited. Finally Vlad spoke again. "Listen, even if I knew where he was I wouldn't tell you. What you have done is deplorable and unacceptable. You will be sorry if you contact me again Jack."

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Well, does this count as a cliff hanger? Hm, it seems I don't care haha. If leaving the chapters with nasty cliff hangers all of the time gets you to keep reading that's fine by me! Hehe ;). So, not what I originally planned for the ending, but that's what happened and I like it. See ya next chapter!


	12. Heal With Love and Affection

Hey there everyone! I have been super busy this week, so it was hard to find to time to write. But here it is only one day late! This next week will probably not have an update for either this or OOT just because the closer it gets to Halloween, the more I work and the crazier my schedule is. I work at a costume store so you can probably the chaos around this time of year. And since this week is the last week before Halloween...INSANITY. So, I apologize for this in advance. Thank you all for the wonderful reviews and favs and whatnot! I love/appreciate them a ton!

Hope you enjoy!

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Vlad sighed as he hung up the phone. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he collected his thoughts. Danny's parents just called him asking where he was. However it wasn't out of concern, it was because they were hunting him. They saw his transformation and knew that he was part ghost. Jack and Maddie had disowned their son and were now trying to kill him. Vlad knew they understood that Danny was half ghost, that he wasn't being overshadowed or controlled; and they hated him for it. Until Jack and Maddie backed down, Danny was in danger. The billionaire knew that the teen couldn't fight against his parents. And if he couldn't escape, he would wind up on their seriously injured or dead.

Just then, one of his ghost maids made her way towards him. She was pushing a cart with their lunch. Vlad grabbed the cart from her and phased the whole thing through the closed door along with himself. Glancing at Danny, the billionaire saw he was looking strangely at his wrist, as if confused. "Daniel?" The ghost hero looked up at him with a strange emotion in his eyes. "What's the matter?" The teen quickly shook his head and gave a small smile. Vlad knew that pushing the teen in his current state would only lead to disaster. So he left it alone, for now.

Vlad gave his own warm smile back. "Lunch is ready," he stated while placing one of the plates in the teen's hands. Grabbing his own, he sat down on the edge of the bed to join Danny. They spoke little while they ate, well, Vlad ate and Danny nibbled. The billionaire became even more worried. The teen hadn't eaten much since Vlad found him. The older ghost then noticed that Danny was staring at his wrist again, food forgotten on his plate. Picking up their plates and putting them on the cart, he pushed it out into the hall for the maid to pick up. Softly closing the door, he then reclaimed his place on the edge of the bed.

Vlad cupped the teen's cheek and stroked the smooth skin with his thumb. Danny looked up at him, sapphire eyes swimming with emotions. "How are your injuries?" He didn't bother hiding the concern and worry in his voice.

The teen glanced away for a moment before replying. "Fine. I've been using my speed healing since we left the hospital, so they are almost all healed now." Some tension stayed in the air as Danny refused to voice something. Vlad moved his hand from the teen's cheek to hold his hand.

"Daniel, what's bothering you?" The billionaire gave the slim hand a reassuring squeeze.

Danny took a deep breath before he began to talk slowly. "It's just, once I escaped I thought I was finally safe. I thought I could go home and put it behind me. I knew it wouldn't be easy, but I figured with my family it would be okay…" The sapphire eyes began to glisten as the hero starred at their adjoined hands. "Then what happened with…my parents…I'm not safe anymore. I never will be. I know you were talking to them earlier Vlad." Vlad gave a somewhat shocked look, but said nothing. "It's only a matter of time before they come here looking for me." The tears rolled down his cheeks freely now, but the teen continued on. "And I had that stupid fight with my friends the day before all of this happened. Who knows when I will get to talk to them again, if ever, or Jazz." A small hiccup came from Danny as sobs began to rack his body. "I was so scared…when that guy had me, I was so scared I would never see you again…"

More sobs and Vlad's heart broke. He quickly took Danny into his arms and cradled his head into his chest. The teen clutched onto his shirt tightly as Vlad rubbed soothing circles on the slim back and soft fingers through the black tresses. Before he could say anything, Danny continued. "I was so scared and worried that he would somehow hurt you from using me." The next part was in a hushed whisper. "I was terrified of what he was going to do to me…" Vlad held onto the crying teen tighter. Rage bubbled up with all of the other emotions he had suppressed. "I felt so useless and weak with that damn bracelet on. None of this would have happened if I had taken it off sooner."

The sobs escaped freely and violently as Vlad nuzzled the midnight hair and pulled Danny closer. He tried to convey all of his love and affection for the young hybrid in just the simple embrace. His little badger was in pain and there was nothing he could do, but hold and try to comfort him. He couldn't take the pain away, no matter how much he wished he could and that almost caused him to cry as well. Heart aching for his young love, Vlad kissed the black tresses and then the forehead. Gently lifting the tear-streaked face off his chest, he then began to kiss the tears away. As he placed feather light kisses all over the teen's face, the sobs slowly stopped and a small blush began to form.

Once Danny's eyes opened to reveal the sapphire beneath, Vlad stopped and gazed into the jewel eyes. "My little badger," the blush deepened slightly at his words. "None of this is your fault, and it never will be. You can't blame yourself for what happened to you, even if you felt like you could have done something. It's natural to feel that way, but that still doesn't make it your fault." Reaching up, the billionaire cupped the salty cheek and gave the most loving smile he could muster. "I know you're in pain and that's to be expected. But don't keep everything bottled up. If you need to talk, then talk, I will always listen. If you need to cry or break things, then do so. I will always be here to help you. All you need to do, is ask."

Placing a light kiss on the tip of the young halfa's nose, Vlad leaned back to look at Danny. "I love you Daniel. I will do anything to see you smile again." Danny starred into his eyes intently as realization seemed to come over the young ghost hero. Vlad gave him a smile and something flickered in the sapphire eyes. He glanced away for a brief second before staring back.

Danny then leaned up and closed his eyes; the teen seemed anxious and hopeful, as he silently asked for a kiss. Happiness radiated from Vlad as he met the hero's soft lips in a sweet and tender kiss. A spark ran through him at the contact, but he fought to keep it chaste and simple. Instead, he poured all of his love and care into it, trying to show Danny just how deep his feelings ran. The young hero did the same, which made Vlad's control waver. When they broke apart, Danny looked up at Vlad with love and happiness. The billionaire couldn't stop the grin that hopped onto his face.

All of a sudden, Danny hid his face into Vlad's chest. "I love you too Vlad," the teen mumbled. Chuckling, he lightly ruffled the soft locks. His phone buzzed in his pocket once more, breaking the moment. Pulling it out, Vlad looked at it. Skulker. Sliding his finger across the screen, he answered it.

"What is it?" Vlad demanded. Danny glanced at him with a curious look, but stayed where he was.

"The kidnapper is moving. I don't know where he is going, but it seems he is headed towards the ghost child's town."

Vlad could feel his anger threaten to boil over. He needed to take care of this man soon. "Capture him and do your job. I will call you when I am on my way. Make sure to keep an eye on the others." Vlad wanted to be vague in front of Danny; the teen didn't need to know what he was planning.

Ending the call, Vlad glanced at the teen and gave him a quick kiss before standing up. "How about a hot, relaxing bath, little badger?" Danny gave a small nod as the billionaire made his way to the connected bathroom. As the hot water filled up the tub, he grabbed some bubbles and lavender oil. Pouring them into the steaming water, Vlad heard the teen walk up behind him.

"Vlad, what are you putting into the water?" The suspicious tone pulls a laugh from the older halfa.

"Lavender and bubbles. The lavender will help you relax. And what's a bath without bubbles?" Vlad smirked at the teen who gave a small smile.

"Whatever fruitloop." The tone was teasing and the nickname said lovingly. Vlad gave the black locks a gentle ruffle. Glancing down at the teen's, well his, clothes, the billionaire frowned slightly. They needed to get Danny some clothes of his own. Danny blushed and fidgeted under the intense gaze.

"I believe we need to make a shopping trip tomorrow," he stated simply as he began to walk out of the bathroom. Turning around, he gave Danny a quick smile. "I'll be in my study if you need me. Take as long as you like little badger." With that, he walked out and headed towards his study. Thoughts wandering back to all that Danny had said, his rage boiled uncontained. The teen already had enough to worry about before what happened a couple of days ago.

Sitting in the plush chair, Vlad pinched the bridge of his nose. He couldn't do anything about the hero's parents. Despite what they had done and continue to do, Danny still and probably would always love them. But his kidnapper was already suffering. Vlad had given Skulker the orders beforehand; when he would eventually tell the hunter to catch the kidnapper, he was to start torturing the man immediately, but leave him alive and coherent enough for the older hybrid to finish the job. The ghost was more than happy to comply.

The whole kidnapping thing was, in a sense, taken care of. Vlad knew Danny would get over that sooner than what his parents had done. It was the same thing they had done to him; betrayed him. Simple as that. When he came down with the case of ectoacne from Jack's foolishness, and was hospitalized for years, they never once visited or called him. It was like he dropped off the face of the planet and they couldn't have cared less. However, the pain Danny felt, and would feel from it, was much more intense because these people were his _parents_. The two people who had sworn to always love and protect him. No matter what.

Maddie's words rang through his ears. _Once he became half ghost, he was no longer our son._ Just how deep did their hatred of ghosts run, for them to disown their own son? They went from loving him to hating him in just a few short seconds. Vlad had tried to convince them, for Danny's sake, that he was still the same, just with ghost powers. They didn't care. Now they were hunting him with the intent to kill. The older hybrid just wondered how long it would take them to come looking for the teen here. Once his parents find out about the fight he had with his friends, to which Vlad still didn't know what it was about, they would go to Jazz next. If they couldn't find him by then, they would surely pay their old college buddy a visit. It would make sense; the teen did spend his whole summer here. He was also pretty sure that even if Jack believed his lie, he was sure Maddie had not.

They had maybe a week to figure something out, possibly less. What were they going to do? The billionaire would have to get all of Danny's legal documents. Does the teen have a passport? It wouldn't matter much, since he had a private jet, but it would make things easier. The hard part would be getting all of the documents without alerting the Fenton couple to his presence now that they were on high alert. Perhaps he could somehow get them as Vlad Masters? Convince Jack and Maddie to sign Danny over to him? There was little to no chance of that happening. If those two knew where Danny was, they would stop at nothing to get to him.

Vlad didn't want to move, but it might come to that. Sighing, he opened his laptop to look for possible places to live. Perhaps Danny won't be that opposed to it; he could only hope. He also needed to get in contact with Jazz. Even if his parent's didn't accept Danny, Vlad knew Jazz would always be there for her little brother. The young woman had no trouble accepting the young hero from the start. Vlad was curious as to how she was going to handle her parents, if she hadn't already heard from them about it.

A soft knock on the door caused Vlad to look up as it was slowly opened and Danny walked in. Vlad gave a warm smile as he closed his laptop. The smell of lavender made its way towards him as Danny came closer. "Feel better?" The teen gave a nod as Vlad stood up. "Good. Now, take off your shirt."

A blush flew onto the teen's face at the demand. "W-What? Why?"

Vlad raised an eyebrow until he realized what the hero was thinking. Giving a small chuckle he explained. "I want to check on your injuries. Specifically your shoulder and rib." Walking closer, he reached out and began to unbutton the shirt.

"Oh, okay." Danny sounded relieved and disappointed at the same time. Vlad smiled at the blushing ghost halfa, thinking about how cute his young love was. Pulling the shirt off, he first inspected the shoulder. From Skulker's description, this injury was from Jack and Maddie. Anger was trying to drown him when he realized just how close the Fenton's were to killing him. If the shot was just a couple of more inches in, Danny might have died. Pushing the thoughts away to deal with at a later time, Vlad forced himself to focus on the task at hand.

The teen's shoulder was mostly healed, pink in color, but still somewhat of a wide area. Vlad softly prodded it and the area surrounding. There was no sound of pain from the teen, so it was looking good. There was going to be a faint scar; a constant reminder, but he would be sure to give Danny plenty of love and affection to make up for it.

Next he moved to the ghost hero's side with the broken rib. Slightly poking the rib, there was small hiss of pain. Glancing at Danny, he gave an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry little badger. How much did that hurt?"

"It's okay. It didn't hurt much, more like a fresh bruise than a broken rib," the teen explained. Vlad gave the shirt, a bit reluctantly, back for him to slip on. He then slipped his fingers into the coal colored hair to feel the bump that caused Danny's concussion. When he felt the area and found nothing, Vlad smiled and pulled his hands back.

"How does your head feel? Any pain?" Vlad asked, hoping the concussion was gone.

Danny shook his head. "Not really. I have a headache, but it's not that bad."

The billionaire ruffled the soft locks, happy his little badger was recovering well, at least physically. Mentally, he still seemed detached and uninterested in most things. It would take time for him to be his old self again. "I'm impressed, Daniel. I didn't know you could speed heal this fast. Though I'm sure you're tired, as it takes a lot of energy to use this certain ability, as you well know." Vlad thought back to their training during the summer. After a particularly brutal fight, Danny had shown the man he knew how to speed heal. The teen hadn't used it much because Vlad tried to keep the injuries to a minimum.

The ghost hero gave a shrug. "I'm tired, but I don't feel like going to sleep."

Vlad chuckled. "You sound like a child who doesn't want to take their nap or follow their bedtime."

Danny gave him a small scowl. "Whatever Vlad."

The older hybrid thought for a moment. "Would you care for a game of pool? I haven't played in quite some time and I'm eager for a challenge." Vlad hoped he could bring some of Danny back with that; or at least distract him some.

A small spark finally lit up the sapphire eyes. "You're on fruitloop."

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Hm, so that was not where I was going to end it, but then the next part would fit with the next chapter better than here sooo yeah. I hope you liked it, let me know and please wait patiently for the next update. See ya next chapter!


	13. Another Country?

Hey there everyone! Long time no see huh? Sorry about that! I...really have no excuse haha. Oh well, at least I got it out! This fic is almost done, by the way. Just a couple of more chapters and maybe an epilogue. Not sure, but it's close. Thank you for patiently waiting and thank you all for the wonderful reviews and such! I appreciate them a ton and love them to death!

Enjoy!

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Screams filled his ears as the black continued to envelope him. He felt cold and empty. There was a small, red fire a long way away and no matter how much he tried, he couldn't reach it. Pain and hatred crept behind the cold, empty darkness that was trying to drown him. The screams became higher and more panicked as he thrashed and fought. A bright light then cascaded down onto him. Warmth coated him as the fire danced over his skin.

Danny's eyes snapped open as warm hands stroked his hair and face. Soothing words filled his ears in a deep baritone. The screams stopped as his throat throbbed in protest. Tears streamed down his face and his body was shaking. That warm and welcomed fire he had been chasing was holding him close. The darkness and pain seemed to fade away as the warm and affectionate hands continued to sooth him. As his breathing slowly returned to a normal rate with his heart, Danny realized where he was.

Vlad's voice came into focus then and he finally _heard_ what the billionaire was saying. "It's okay, my little badger. I'm here for you. I will always be here for you." Words like that filled his ears in an attempt to put him at ease and chase the dream away. Calming down, the tears slowed to a trickle and the sobs slowly ebbed to whimpers. The dream faded from his memory as Danny just focused on the soothing touches and words.

The stars shone in the night as soft, dark clouds drifted slowly through the sky. Glancing at the digital clock on the side table, Danny noticed it was four in the morning. "I'm sorry…" Danny said in a hushed whisper.

A small chuckle came from the man as he pet the soft locks. "Whatever for, Daniel?"

Scowling at the laughter, the teen explained. "For bothering you and waking you up…"

The ghost hero was pulled away as Vlad cupped his chin and used his other hand to hold the small of his back. "You're not bothering me and could never do so. If you need some comfort, regardless of what I am doing, don't be afraid to ask for it." The billionaire leaned closer; hot breath fell across Danny's face and his heart rate sped up, but this time in a good way. "I will gladly give it." The last inch was closed as their lips touched. A jolt went through the teen at the contact.

Placing his hands on the warm chest, he gripped handfuls of the light fabric and pulled Vlad closer. As their lips slid against one another, the hand on his chin roamed across his chest. The warm fingers danced down his torso and then under his shirt. The contact made a gasp escape from his throat, which Vlad used to his advantage, slipping his tongue in. As the billionaire's tongue explored his mouth, the hand touched every inch of his chest. He was slowly melting into the older hybrid, the touches sending pleasure through him.

When they pulled apart for air, Vlad smiled down at him with love in his eyes. Kissing the tip of his nose, he pulled his hands out from Danny's shirt. A small whine escaped the teen and the billionaire chuckled. "I don't believe right now is the time for that, little badger." He gave Vlad a pout, wanting to keep going. Vlad was making him feel so good, he didn't want it to stop. With a sigh Danny realized he was right. Even though he was excited, he was exhausted more.

Giving him one last kiss, Vlad started to move off of the bed to make his way to his own room. "Get some sleep, Daniel." Eyes wide, Danny grabbed his wrist. A blush dusted his cheeks in the dark as he hurried to explain.

"You don't have to go…I don't want you to go," the teen whispered the last part, but Vlad heard it anyway.

The billionaire smiled before climbing back into bed with the teen, shifting under the covers with him. Danny blushed slightly, but was more than eager to cuddle into the warm chest. A small content sigh fell from his lips as he felt himself being pulled back to sleep. One of the older hybrid's hands was stroking his back while the other was running gentle fingers through his midnight tresses. This was the first time they were sleeping together, and Danny could get used to it.

A loud boom of thunder spread through the room. Danny slowly opened his eyes and looked out the window. It was pouring and lightning flashed in between the sounds of thunder. Reaching out, the teen realized he was now alone in bed. Eyes snapping open, he looked around. Where was Vlad? He started to become anxious, but tried to push it away. The billionaire was probably in his office or study. Taking a deep breath, the teen forced himself to calm his racing heart. Just because he didn't see Vlad, didn't mean he wasn't here.

Climbing out of bed, he let his ghost half to come forth as the hero flew through the walls and ceiling to find the older hybrid. Going for the office first, he was relieved to see the older hybrid there. Touching down while the white rings slid over his body, he approached him. The phone held up to his ear, Vlad glanced over and offered a warm smile before turning his attention back to the other line. Standing by the window, the older hybrid seemed to be watching the rain as he listened to the other person talk.

"No, it has to be done today. Tomorrow at the latest," he spoke with a hint of urgency. It was probably something business related. Danny walked over and plopped down in the comfortable office chair and spun from side to side as he waited for the phone call to end. A scowl appeared on his face as he thought about the future. What was he going to do? What about school? His friends and sister? His parents?

The teen was so immersed in his thoughts he hadn't noticed the billionaire end the phone call and walk over to him. Surprise clouded his features as warm lips pressed onto his. With eyelids fluttering close, he wrapped his arms around Vlad's neck and pressed his body against the billionaire's. As they pulled apart, the older hybrid chuckled. "You're too young to have such a look on of worry on your face, little badger. I couldn't help but to remove it."

"Whatever fruitloop," he retorted. Vlad just chuckled once more before pulling away to answer another phone call. Sighing, Danny turned around and hopped onto the laptop sitting there. Before he could type in the password, a large hand closed the computer. Glancing up, the billionaire gave him a look and then went back to the window.

What was that about? Vlad had given him the passwords to most of his things and never denied him to use something before. Confused Danny just waited as patiently as he could. Watching the man talk on the phone was never very interesting as he kept the same expression on his face the entire time. His voice even tended to stay monotone and bored sounding.

Getting an idea, Danny brought forth his ice powers and formed a small ice cube. Throwing it at Vlad, he wasn't surprised when the man caught it reflexively. Never once faltering in his phone call, he gazed at Danny with a curious look. That was when the teen gave the most sultry grin he could muster. Slowly, he raised his shirt and pulled it over his head. The billionaire raised one eyebrow in question, still having no trouble with his phone call.

Throwing the shirt to the ground, he leaned back and started to tug down his pants. Lifting his hips, he pulled the pajama bottoms slowly down his legs. He put on the best show he could for the older hybrid, but Vlad didn't seem affected. The billionaire just stared and talked, never moving or once faltering. With his heart beating madly in his chest, Danny worked up the courage to remove his boxers as well.

Raising one hand above his head and resting it on the back of the chair, he used to the other to toy with the top of his boxers. He was incredibly nervous and wasn't sure how Vlad would react to him taking them off. So instead, he posed and gave the man his best lustful grin. Looking closely, Danny could see the lust in the midnight orbs. His grin stretched as he realized that he was affecting the man.

Confidence growing, he so very slowly tugged down his boxers, revealing pale skin. Just as he was about to free himself, Vlad walked over and grabbed his hand to stop him. Danny just smirked at the pointed look the billionaire was giving him. When he tried to tug his boxers down, the hand prevented him from doing so. A few seconds later, the older hybrid was dropping the phone on his desk and capturing the teen's lips in a passionate kiss.

Rain pounded on the windows as thunder rolled in the sky. Vlad's lips moved like silk against his own. A warm hand made its way to his chest and caressed him, memorizing his skin. The hand went under his thighs and pulled him up so the billionaire was holding him. Wrapping his legs around the waist, Danny helped to hold himself up. As the lips moved from his mouth so he could get air, they then attacked his neck, sucking and nipping all along the pale flesh. A gasp of pleasure rolled through Danny as teeth grazed his skin.

Vlad then looked into his eyes, love and affection shinning through. Placing one last gentle kiss on his now swollen lips, he placed the ghost hero down. "Wherever did you get the idea to seduce me like that?" The billionaire chuckled as he hungrily scanned his naked form.

Reaching down and grabbing his pants, the teen just shrugged. "I was bored and you never have any expressions on your face while talking on the phone, so I tried to change that." Slipping on his shirt he gave the man a cheeky grin. "Your expression didn't really change, but I like the result."

Laughing, Vlad placed one last kiss on the midnight tresses. "Yes, well, I have become quite successful at keeping an expressionless mask on my face, no matter the situation. Though, just because you didn't see my emotions didn't mean I had no reaction." Ruffling the locks, he sat down in the now empty chair. Opening the laptop, the man typed in the password. Motioning for Danny to take a seat next to him, he began opening up certain websites.

Curious, the teen just grabbed a nearby chair and sat down, watching Vlad as he pulled up what he was looking for. "Daniel, I know this is going to be hard, but it's for the best. We have to move, it is the only way to keep you truly safe while being able to live a somewhat normal life." Danny just stared. Move? But what about his friends? And sister? Danny still needed to call them. He didn't want to move, but the look on Vlad's face kept him from protesting. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

At the small nod, Vlad continued. "You have quite a few options, but I narrowed it down to make the decision easier." Moving the laptop a little closer to the teen, he showed the small list of locations. Glancing at the screen, Danny read the options with nervousness. London was the first one, but Danny didn't really want to move all the way to England, so he skipped that one for now. Australia was the next one, but that was even further away. Ireland, Canada and New Zealand were the rest.

A scowl appeared on his face at the choices. Why can't they go someplace in the United States? Glancing up at the older hybrid, Danny gave a somewhat pleading and desperate look. "Do we have to go to another country?" At the serious look Vlad gave him, he sighed. "Ireland seems nice…" he trailed off. A large hand ruffled his hair.

"It will be okay, my little badger. You will have a day to say goodbye to your friends and sister. I will have them flown here so you can have your goodbyes." Vlad had a somewhat thoughtful look on his face. "You never did tell me what it was you and your friends fought about."

At the blush Danny had on his cheeks at the comment, Vlad raised an eyebrow, but waited for the teen to explain. Rubbing the back of his neck, Danny looked away before starting. "Well, they were upset that I was defending you and saying you had changed and all of that." When the ghost hero thought about it, the fight seemed stupid now. They had fought about Vlad during the summer as well, and that last fight had seemed to be the final straw for Sam. "Near the end of the fight, Sam gave me a choice. You or them…" the young hybrid trailed off, hoping the man understood what he was saying.

A smirk appeared on the billionaire's face and Danny tensed slightly at the expression. "Who did you choose?" Damn pompous jerk. The teen _knew_ that Vlad knew; the man just wanted him to say it.

With a annoyed huff, Danny got up to go get breakfast. As he was on his way out the door, he muttered a faint, "you." Warm arms wrapped around his slim frame as soft lips prepped feather light kisses on his face. Laughing as some of them tickled, Vlad pulled his chin up and gazed into his sapphire eyes.

"I love you Daniel."

With a touch of red in his cheeks, Danny smiled warmly back. "I love you too," he muttered as their lips closed the last inch and met in a soft and sweet kiss. Even with his heart broken and bruised, Danny was able to mostly forget about it whenever he was with Vlad. It still hurt, but the pain was a dull throb when he was with the older hybrid. When he was alone was when it hurt the most, but with the billionaire's help, he would slowly heal.

The ghost hero just hoped that his parents wouldn't find them and crush his heart all over again.

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What did you guys think? I hope enjoyed! I will try to keep updates to about once a week, no promises though, as my life is currently insane. See ya next chapter!


	14. Getting Back to Normal

Hey guys! So, I can make like 15,000 excuses as to why this is being posted NOW. But I'm too lazy to make even one and I'm guessing you guys don't care so long as you have more to read huh? We'll go with that. This IS the last chapter, and I know it's short, but I'm done with this story. Like ready for it to be over haha. Anyway, sorry it took...like two months? Yay Christmas present! Thanks for all the reviews and follows and what not for this whole story, I love them all. By the way, I fail when I have a deadline, if you didn't notice haha.

Enjoy!

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A crash jolted Vlad awake. Quickly glancing around, he realized it wasn't in the room he was in. Getting up from the couch he had fallen asleep on, he hurried to Danny's room to check on the teen. Not seeing the young hero there, a frown marred his face, where was he? Going to his room, he found the teen on his bed curled into a ball, the bedside lamp on the floor in hundreds of pieces. Walking closer, the billionaire could see him shaking. Carefully reaching down, he spoke softly. "It's okay my little badger, I'm here." Unwrapping the arms from around the slim body, he pulled Danny into his chest and hugged him.

Danny's nightmares hadn't stopped since they got home from the hospital. Even though they had been in Ireland for a week now, every night Vlad was comforting him. At first the older hybrid was sure the teen would get over the kidnapping first and his parents would take years. He hadn't expected it to be the opposite. Vlad had assumed at first that the nightmares were because of his parents; until the ghost hero told him about a week ago, that it was because of the kidnapping. It made him boil with rage. That pitiful excuse of a human was long dead, Vlad finishing him off himself. But the affects seemed like they would stick for a long time.

When the shaking slowly stopped, Vlad kissed the tip of the teen's nose. Danny didn't want to admit just how scared he was during that event, because at the time he had focused more on escaping and getting back to Vlad. But the billionaire knew how much it affected him by seeing the little things he did differently because of it. He had wished many times he could make it so Maddie had never put that bracelet on his little badger. That none of this ever happened. He had even thought about finding Desiree, but she would just twist the wish and make everything a bigger mess.

Leaning away slightly, he reached down and wiped the tears away. Sapphire eyes gazed into his cobalt. They blinked tiredly right before a yawn escaped the teen. Smiling warmly, Vlad leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on the soft lips. "Sleep, my little badger, I'll be here," he assured. After a slight nod, Danny closed his eyes and fell swiftly back to sleep. Lying down on the bed, the billionaire phased the comforter through them so he didn't have to move Danny too much. The older hybrid tried to hug the teen as close as he could before falling back to sleep.

A gentle shaking motion woke the older hybrid and he opened his eyes to see an anxious Danny standing above him. Seeing the look on the young hybrid's face caused sleep to fly away. "Daniel? What's wrong?" He questioned while sitting up. The teen seemed upset. Did he have another nightmare? Grabbing a slightly shaking hand, he gave it a warm and gentle squeeze.

The ghost hero looked down guiltily. "I'm sorry I broke your lamp last night…" Danny mumbled while glancing down to the floor. Vlad inwardly sighed. For the most part, the teen was all right. Pulling the young hybrid close, he hugged him tightly.

"It's alright, little badger. It can easily be replaced." As he moved back, he saw Danny looked somewhat relieved. But something else appeared to be on his mind. "Is something else the matter?" Vlad questioned. Perhaps it wasn't all about the broken lamp.

Danny bit his lower lip as he thought about something. It looked cute, but the billionaire contained himself and patiently waited for an answer. "I…want to finish high school. I'm ready to start here." The teen gazed at him with unwavering sapphire eyes. Smiling, Vlad kissed the ghost hero's forehead.

"I'm glad. I have all of the paperwork done. I was just waiting for you to tell me you were ready." Danny smiled back before he leaned down and kissed Vlad. Warmth filling him up, Vlad kept the kiss gentle as he wrapped his arms around the slim torso. When they pulled apart, the teen had a slight blush on his cheeks. Chuckling lightly, the billionaire cupped the warm cheek and stroked his thumb across the smooth skin. "How about some breakfast?"

After breakfast they went for a walk around their home. The grounds were fairly expansive. Beautiful though and Danny enjoyed the privacy to fly around without worry. Grabbing the teen's hand in his, Vlad placed an affectionate kiss on the knuckles as they continued to walk. A quick glance to Danny's face told the billionaire that he was thinking about something. The teen was biting his bottom lip. "Something wrong, little badger?" Vlad asked casually.

Danny took a deep breath and ran his free hand through his hair. "I was just…what happened to…_him_…" he trailed off, unable to say the words. Vlad looked down at him somewhat surprised, but he should have expected this sooner, really. Moving his gaze back to their path, he kept his voice calm and steady. Keeping the hand tight in his, he kept walking.

"I killed him," Vlad stated simply. There was no point in lying or sugar coating it for the teen. Danny could handle it, he knew he could. It might also do the young hybrid some good to know that his kidnapper was gone and could never harm him again. When he glanced down, he saw a pensive expression. Raising an eyebrow, he waited for the teen to respond.

A few minutes later he was rewarded. "Thank you…" Danny spoke softly. Vlad wasn't entirely sure what all he was thankful for, but he could guess. Leaning down, he placed a soft kiss on the black locks. Smiling, he gently squeezed the hand in his as they continued their walk.

"Always, my little badger."

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I don't mean to get your hopes up, but this may not be the /end/ end for this story. I want to write an epilogue, but who knows when that will be posted. Hopefully soon :). Until then, this story is completed. Thanks for following it and reading it! Hope you guys all enjoyed it! See you in another story! Or the epilogue hehe.


	15. Epilogue

Holy shit guys. HOLY. SHIT. This story is only a little over 200 views shy of reaching 30,000 in views. LIKE WHAT THE CHIZ, DID YOU GUYS LIKE THIS STORY THAT MUCH?! It appears so. My story has been seen almost 30K times. Mind. Blown. Okay sooo, I meant to have this to you guys a month ago. But life happens, and as it happens I ended up moving to NYC three weeks ago. It's a long story haha. Anyway, that's why this is just now getting posted, but hey, at least you guys are getting it, right? Right. Anywayz, happy to see an epilogue? Me too. That thing were I said there _might_ be an epilogue was a lie as I planned one all along haha. I purposely left you on edge like that hehehe. Actually I didn't mean to wait this long to actually write an epilogue...oopsies? Hope you enjoy it!

For all of you who were waiting for the smut. HERE YOU GO.

Enjoy!

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Flying home from the airport, Danny landed in Vlad's office as the white rings slid over his body. Black hair replaced white as the teen walked over and wrapped his arms around broad shoulders. "Hey fruitloop." He just dropped Sam and Tucker off so they could catch their flight back to Amity Park. It had been nice seeing them again. At first it was a little awkward, even though they made up months ago. But after a bad joke from Tucker, the tension had dissipated. It was their winter break and it was a good excuse to invite them over. The billionaire had actually been the one to suggest and offer it, even though he never really cared for the teens, but he did it for Danny.

"Did it go well?" Vlad asked as he turned his chair around to face Danny. Crawling onto the man's lap, the teen smiled.

"Yeah, Tucker actually started crying, it was kind of funny, especially when he tried to play it off as something stupid." Looking thoughtful, he gave Vlad a soft smile. "Can they come back during summer?" A grin was still on his face from spending so much time with his friends.

The billionaire rubbed their noses together as his hands slid over the teen. "Of course. Now," his mouth attached to the pale neck, licking and nipping the sweet skin there. The teen arched as a gasp tumbled from his lips. "I haven't had you all week, I think it's time for me to have some fun as well." Vlad smirked as he phased off the shirt and started marking the toned chest.

A moan fell from his mouth when a nipple was sucked on. "Vlad," the teen panted, already hard. His eyes widened when he was pushed back onto the desk; everything was thrown off and scattered onto the floor.

"I hope you're prepared little badger. You've been teasing me all week, but wouldn't follow through because your friends were here. It's time to finish what you started," Vlad whispered huskily against his ear. Hot breath ghosted over cool flesh, sending shivers through his body.

Danny began to pant as hands explored his body and a tongue traced lines of muscle down the chest. A hand slipped past his waistband, phasing the jeans off and to the floor. As the bulge in his boxers was gripped and then massaged, the teen moaned loudly. He was just as impatient as Vlad. Surprise flitted through the young halfa when his boxers were pushed aside and a slick finger entered him. Moaning at the feeling, he rocked his hips onto it at an attempt to gain more friction. It was strange to have the silk material still on him as fingers pumped in and out of him. As one hand stretched him, the other roamed his chest and stomach. A whine escaped his throat when the fingers disappeared, but a happy moan replaced it when something much larger pressed and slowly began to slid into his entrance.

"Vlad," Danny moaned softly, gripping aimlessly at the desk, trying to find something to hold. Settling on the billionaire's arms braced on the desk next to his chest, he gripped them tightly. As the hard shaft began to move, he threw his head back in ecstasy, bumping it against the expensive wood.

"Daniel, so beautiful." The words sent blood rushing into his cheeks as he turned his face away in embarrassment. Vlad's compliments always made him blush and shy, no matter how many times he said them. Lips kissed his hot cheek as the pace never faltered. Stars unexpectedly filled the ghost hero's vision as his prostate was rubbed. A loud moan fell from his kiss bruised lips as the pace sped up. Wrapping his legs around the slim waist, Danny began to meet Vlad thrust for thrust. Noticing that the billionaire was still fully clothed sent a wave of arousal through him. Normally he preferred skin to skin, but there was something electrifying with having the older hybrid in all of his clothes while he still had his boxers on.

That familiar coil began to tighten in his lower abdomen as sweat gathered on his skin, pants and moans filled the room along with the musky smell of sweat and sex. "Vlad, I-I'm goi-" His eyes slipped fully closed when a hand massaged his clothed erection, sending a shock through him. A few rough thrusts later and he was climaxing with a shout of his lover's name. Less than a minute after he felt hot cum fill him up, helping Danny ride out his orgasm. Vlad braced himself a few inches above him to keep from collapsing on top of the teen.

"Well that was hot," the young halfa panted out with a satisfied grin. It was unusual that Vlad would be so impatient to do this kind of thing on his desk, but it was worth it. Maybe he should tease the man in his office more.

A chuckle vibrated through his chest from the body above him. "That it was. I love you Daniel." A kiss to his lips solidified the statement. A smirk played on the teen's lips as they pulled apart.

"I love you too fruitloop."

After quick shower and a change of clothes, they sat and watched TV; cuddled on the couch. A hand ran through Danny's hair, playing with the raven black tresses. "Daniel?"

"Hm?" His eyes were half open from the simple pleasure of having his hair played with.

"I was going to make this a surprise, however I wasn't sure how you would feel about it. Would you like for your sister to come spend Christmas with you?" Danny's eyes widened as he pulled away to glance up to the man.

"Jazz will…come here?" His heart was beating excitedly in his chest at the idea. They had been talking ever since they moved here, but with her in college, it was hard to set up a time to visit the either.

A relieved smile graced the older halfa's face. "Yes, she will spend all of her Christmas break here. Do you want her to?"

Instead of answering, Danny wrapped his arms tightly around Vlad and kissed him with all the love in the world. "Sounds like the best Christmas present ever fruitloop." They rubbed noses as Vlad chuckled. Crawling onto the billionaire's lap, Danny snuggled as close as he could before they continued watching TV.

Jazz had tried talking to their parents after everything, but they wouldn't listen. She stopped visiting them and shut them out of her life. A simple statement that if they were going to renounce Danny as their son, then they would lose their daughter as well. Maddie and Jack Fenton now considered themselves childless. Despite all the months in Vlad's care and the therapy sessions, Danny still had a hard time getting past his parents. But he had been prepared for this to happen. The moment he got his powers, he prepared himself for the worst and the best. The worst happened and it hurt. The teen was learning to deal with it. He still had his friends and sister after all.

The kidnapping was a whole other story. His nightmares still plagued him, but not as frequently. About once a week he would wake up screaming and in Vlad's arms. Danny wasn't sure why the kidnapping affected him worse than his parents. Both Vlad and his therapist had explanations for it. And it made sense. Mostly. In Danny's mind, that wasn't the worst thing he had gone through physically. He had been hurt much worse in many different fights. It was all of the events together that made the experience what it was. Especially when he was left defenseless without his powers; something he was used to having all the time. He wasn't getting over it. And he wasn't sure he ever would. Danny wasn't sure he would ever be okay again, despite the billionaire's and the therapist's assurance he would.

It was difficult adjusting to his life here, but he made do. A few months ago he was just worried about whether or not he had a crush on his old archenemy. Now, the enemy was his everything. Vlad was sure to keep him busy and distracted. Helped him with homework and his ghost powers. When the teen had a breakdown, he was there. The fruitloop was always there for him. Helping him, healing him, holding him. Loving him. Everything. A brighter smile lifted his lips as Danny snuggled closer to Vlad. His chest filled with warmth as his heart beat happily against his ribs.

Perhaps, with a little more time, he would be okay after all.

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Welp, that's the end. No seriously, that's the end. This story is officially done. I know, it's sad. Need a tissue? *hands one* Apparently I'm in a weird mood tonight. Maybe it's because I feel as if a weight has been lifted off my body for _finally _finishing this story. What did you guys think? Hope you liked it! See ya in another story!


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